True Love's For Those Who Wait
by Secret Musings
Summary: Jake's left to deal after Bella weds while helping the pack protect the locals. Shalena's caught in a world she's never been in. Will 2 parts pain mixed w/ a dash of friendship equal 1 true love? Jacob/OC Not too much sorrow, brightens up after a while.
1. Aimless Towards Danger

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm new to , but not to writing. I welcome feedback, kudos, and just plain mad love from all you readers out there.

Chapter Note: This chapter is establishing the main character and setting. It doesn't have any Wolf Pack or Cullen members mentioned, but provides a basis for later so don't pass it up. I promise, promise, promise chapter 2 will have wolf pack in it. They're the best, so they get to be first. LOL!

I had always spent my life doing what was expected of me, doing the right thing, basically surrendering my feelings and needs to the whims and tragedies of those around me. Don't mistake this trait as a weakness or a flaw, but rather something that prepared me for my life's calling. Although I didn't see it at the time, now that I'm on the other side of that chapter in my life I can see the benefit. My father had just passed away and I did what I have always done. I came to the rescue and began to pick up the pieces. The first my emotions converged with each other in a roller coaster of sadness, anger, loneliness, and surprisingly relief. I flew down to Half Moon Bay to attend a memorial being held to honor my father and then spent the week afterwards trying to make arrangements and tie up loose ends.

Sometime during the week, I stopped for a moment and was terrified to realized that my feelings had somehow become detached from me and even though I could feel the presence it felt as if they were in the distance... somewhere that I couldn't reach. In the absence of my emotions I was left with a dull numbness which continued to reside within me even after I flew back home to Portland. The next couple of week's felt like a test of my endurance and and survival skills. The numbness still lingered, but frequently emotions would break through that barrier and blind side me. All at once I felt the pain I was working so hard to avoid and I welcomed the pain sometimes because I was desperate to feel something, anything other than numb regardless of whether it was good, bad, painful or otherwise. I balanced my time between work and school using both to deny my father's death. I went to great lengths to be busy for almost two months and then something made me stop. I had been like a speeding train, always moving, always on a tight schedule and then it was like all at once I crashed into a wall. I couldn't stand to go on the way that I had. If I did I knew it would hurt me worse in the end, so I checked out of my normal life and left. I wasn't sure if I was leaving for good, but I knew I wouldn't be resuming my everyday life anytime soon.

I packed up some clothes and necessities and set out on my journey. I didn't have a destination in mind, let alone my GPS so I just drove towards the Oregon coast. After I got over the coastal range, I saw the ocean in front of me beckoning me to go towards the horizon. I drove into one of the pull outs that they have for sightseers and put my car in park. Gazing out at the sea, I hopped out of my car and hiked a trail that descended down to the beach below. When my feet met the sand I slipped off my shoes and set them on a piece of grey-brown driftwood nearby. The driftwood reminded me of who I had become. All at once I like felt drifting aimlessly without an anchor lost at sea. At the same time I could also relate to the driftwood's current state of being trapped on the sandy beach where I now stood. I was a young woman lost and drifting, trapped by grief. I walked further down towards the shoreline and sat down to watched the crashing waves. It felt bittersweet to escape the noise and distractions because I felt like I could finally breathe yet I was in danger of having to fully confront my feelings.

I sat for awhile and just did nothing. Didn't think about what I was going through, didn't think about where I was headed, or what I was going to do when I got there, I just welcomed the silence and watched as the sun began the go down. Dusk crept in around me and I started to shiver a bit, not from cold, but from the eerie feeling that had come along with the dusk. I got up cautiously and started back up to the trail only to find that the land behind me was slightly darker than the sea which only added to my apprehension. Finding the driftwood I grabbed my shoes slipping them on quickly and heading up the trail. As I walked up the trail, I saw something out of the corner of my eye, but looked back to find nothing. I shook it off thinking it had to do with how vulnerable I was in my current state and continued on. My car was the only one in the parking lot and there was no one on 101 as I looked up in the direction I wanted to go. The engine roared to life as I turned the key and I pulled out onto the nearly deserted road.

I drove for what seemed like hours taking advantage of the fact that all of the tourists and even the locals had long since headed home or to the places they were staying and settled in for the night. This way I didn't have to worry about people behind me or traveling too slow around the curves that seemed to populate these narrow coastal roads.

I crossed the Oregon-Washington border sometime during the night and and by midnight I had reached a small beach town called Moclips near Pacific Beach. I decided to stop off and try to get a room at one of the inns in town, but had no luck because it was so late. Small towns like this didn't have motels that were open to people coming through in the middle of the night, at least not from what I could see. I continued on and found a place near the campground at Pacific Beach State Park and pulled off into a forested area out of the view of passerby. The campground didn't accept campers after 2:30 in the afternoon and given that I was so tired I decided camping in the forest nearby was my safest bet. At least there were people near enough that I thought they would hear something if anything went wrong. Getting my tent out of my car I began to set it up and was soon tucked into my sleeping bag fast asleep.

A short while later, I awoke suddenly to a mysterious sound outside my tent a short distance away. I wasn't sure if it was an animal or a person and I wasn't about to crawl out of my tent to look. As I sat up in my tent, another noise arose in the darkness though seemingly closer this time. I gathered up my courage and unzipped one of the screen windows on the side the noises were coming from slightly and peeked through the thin slight my actions provided and was horrified by the sight I beheld. A tall man came into me view with pale icy skin and such an odd set of features that he was almost beautiful in his uniqueness, but not quite. Aside from the fact that he was in the middle of a forest in the middle of the night, something didn't seem right about him and my breath hitched in my throat. Raw fear flooded in and my pulse began to quicken as I heard a wolf howl. As soon as my pulse began to race, the man seemed to take in the smell and as he did his head turned in my direction. All at once he was outside my tent in less than a few seconds and staring me in the eyes. Our eyes met and he saw the glint of realization in my eyes as I saw that his eyes almost glowed gold in the moonlight that shone down through the trees.


	2. You Mean It's All Real?

Author's note: Hello readers! There was so much I needed to put in this chspter and it sort of took on a life of it's own. I enjoyed writing it and plus Sam and Jacob are in it which makes it all the better. I would love to hear your feedback about how you think it's going, what you would change, or like to see happen in future chaps. So please review to your heart's content.

Update 10/14/2011: I had my beta read though this and made some changes. Among them the main character's name was changed from Emma to Shalena. In earlier drafts I had her as Emma. If you've already read this chapter, none of the changes made are major, so you won't be missing any changes to the story thus far.

Without further ado...here's Chapter 2.

~You Mean It's All Real?~

"Do you know what I am?" I leaned away from the opening unconsciously trying to put distance between us and attempted to avoid answering his question. As I saw the corners of his mouth pull into a smile, I saw the slight outline of his teeth and even though the darkness made it difficult to make out I thought some of them looked sharp. I shook silently with fear. Since my father had died I had been wrestling with the idea of living courageously every day because I could die the next day. It was an interesting thing to ponder, but this wasn't exactly what I was thinking of when I thought about opportunities to to test my theory. Despite my fear, I figured in that split second that I wasn't going down without a fight and pushed my fear down while letting my courage soar up within me.

Answering his question through clenched teeth I growled, "I don't know what or who you are, but I do know that you need to get the fuck away from me." He laughed to himself tilting his face toward the moon, giving me a view of his silhouette and it was then I saw that the sharp teeth I suspected were real more clearly. Fear threatened once again to make it's presence known and once again I suppressed it.

"Ahhh, you're going to be feisty. When I first saw you sitting on the beach you struck me as vulnerable. A young woman who would willingly cooperate thereby resigning herself to her fate." As he was speaking I crawled to the entrance of my tent and yanked the zipper open only to realize that as he was talking he had followed me to that end of my tent. He continued, "I see now that I was wrong in my initial calculations...you are going to make this fun." He inhaled deeply taking in my scent and smiled evilly as he followed my movements with his gaze.

A quiet, low growl came from somewhere deep inside and broke out into the air between us. Before I knew how it had happened, the man (or whatever he was) had me in his clutches and was dangerously close to my skin. "You know, I am so tired of men that think they can have anything they want and think they can do anything to get it. You picked the wrong girl to mess with and I'm not going down without a fight." He seemed to be getting more and more enjoyment out of our exchange the more mad and rebellious I became. Right after I finished speaking I pulled back against the hold he had on my arms while bringing my leg up to kick his side. His grip didn't loosen as my leg made contact and his eyes livened when he saw my confusion at the pain I felt from the impact. I didn't understand why it had hurt so bad or how his body could have possibly been that hard, but it felt like I had just kicked a statue. I grimaced at the pain coursing through my leg that was probably broken now. It didn't make sense. I had fought before and had never felt anything like it. I was mystified and scared slowly coming to the realization that I might not make it out of this. I went to put my foot back down gingerly so the impact wouldn't cause vibrations of pain to send shock waves through my leg and looked into his eyes. In that moment something came crashing into us and tore him away from me.

I flew through the air landing near a tree and watched through eyes blurred with tears as a huge wolf attacked the creature that had held me captive seconds before. It's hard to describe the mixture of shock and relief that was stirring inside of me as I watched the two creatures battle against each other. I had studied various animals (before I chose to go the route of marine biology) including wolves and I had never seen a record of a wolf this size. I'm petite at five feet tall and from my vantage point this wolf seemed to be as tall as me from shoulder to paw, if not a few inches taller. I heard another noise as branches cracked under the paws of another wolf coming in to aid in the attack. The wolves worked together like a well-oiled machine and viciously ripped the man apart. It was almost as if they had attacked together before, which would make sense because if I remembered correctly wolves run in packs. I knew I should have been frightened at their strength and fierce movements, but oddly I felt safe like my subconscious knew something my brain didn't. These wolves would not turn from what was left of the man and harm me.

As the two wolves finished, they seemed to be looking at each other so intently that I was sure they were having a conversation. Wolves are animals...do they really have conversations? I wasn't sure what to believe at this point and if I wasn't observing the interaction right in front of me I would have said they didn't. After a few moments, they seem to have reached a consensus and approached me. There was a second where my more logical side caused fear to swell up inside of me, but as soon as I looked into the eyes of the russet wolf on my left, the fear dissipated. They seemed to be checking out the extent of my injuries to access the situation further and soon the other wolf walked off behind some brambles leaving me with the wolf with the warm tones. I heard branches being moved in the area the other wolf had gone and from behind the brambles came a young man in his 20's. The moment I saw him I made the realization that he and the wolf that left us moments before were one in the same.

"Hi, my name is Sam Uley. Are you alright?" he asked with a comforting smile. I nodded and replied, "I'm pretty banged up, but it's nothing that won't heal with time. My leg is the worst of it."

He came in closer and looked at my leg, "When that man was holding me I tried to kick him in his ribs and the impact felt like it shattered my leg. I've never felt anything like it when I have been fighting before."

"You've fought before?" Sam questioned. I heard the russet wolf sit down on his hunches and glanced to see that he seemed to be listening to the conversation between Sam and me. I looked up at Sam, "Yes, a lot actually. You see, this isn't the first time I've been attacked." A low growl came from the wolf sitting beside me and I turned to look into upset eyes. I reached up and touched the side of his head lightly. He leaned into my touch as I continued. "When I was younger, my father trained me to fight. I was just a kid, so I thought it was just rough-housing. When I was attacked for the first time, I figured out that my dad had been preparing me all those years. I fought back against my attacker and got him to leave me alone, but afterwards I signed up to begin training in different fight styles and I've been training ever since. It didn't help me much tonight though."

Sam sighed, "It wasn't your skills that didn't work. Truth be told, if you had been fighting something else, you probably would have done some serious damage."

"Something else?" I questioned.

"I'm sorry, I didn't ask your name?"

"It's Shalena."

"You see Shalena, I know this is hard to believe, but that man that you were fighting back there wasn't really a man at all. He was a vampire." As Sam said that, I felt the wolf tense under my hand. I thought back to the moment I saw his silhouette in the moonlight and remembered seeing something different in the way his mouth looked. And then there were his eyes, electric golden orbs that had gone to black as he came closer to me. I knew what Sam was saying was true.

"I knew there was something different about him. I remember thinking that he couldn't be human, but pushing the thought away because that thought scared me more the idea of being attacked." I paused, letting it sink in. "So, if he was a vampire, what does that make you? I mean I know you were the wolf that went behind the brush, but are you like a werewolf?"

"Well, we are, but not like the werewolves you read about in books or see in movies. We are part of the Quileute tribe and legend has it we descended from wolves. There's more I can tell you, but right now I'm concerned about your injuries." Sam looked at the wolf across from him. "I think we should take you to our reservation and have you taken care of. You'll be safe there and we have a good doctor. So would that be okay?"

I thought about it. I could just go to a hospital in Moclips and get treated there, but Sam seemed to be concerned about my safety. Plus, I didn't know what I would do after I was treated, not to mention the fact that before this had happened I was on an aimless journey anyway.

"How far is it?"

"About 2 hours away, more or less. A lot less if we drive fast." I nodded and said, "Okay, let's go then." Sam head nodded in agreement. I felt something inside pull at my heart strings and looked over at the wolf still sitting beside me. I wasn't sure what to make of the feeling. I also was struck with curiosity about the wolf. Sam had started getting my stuff together and put it back in my car. The wolf must be standing guard in case anything else happens I thought to myself. "Hey Sam, why hasn't he morphed back?"

"He will when we go to get you in the car. He just making sure you're okay." I'm sure a questioning look played across my features. "When we're in wolf form we can sense a lot more of what is going on around us. I can hear your heartbeat and sense some other things, but he can sense things even more because he's in wolf form. So, if you start going into shock or something like that he'll know before I do. Plus, if the are any other vampires around, they'll smell your blood, so it's best if one of us is ready to attack."

"Oh.." I breathed out slowly. I had always been pretty good at reading people and I could see that what Sam was telling me was true, but I could also see there was something he wasn't telling me. I shrugged it off, too exhausted to even attempt to question him. I once again looked at the wolf's eyes and tentatively moved my body so that I was leaning against him so I could rest. His russet fur was soft and warm and I could feel his body beneath it radiating heat. As my eyes closed, I sunk deeper into him and relaxed. The warmth he was giving off seemed to be alleviating some of my pain. Soon, Sam woke me up and told me it was time to get in the car. I sat up from my resting place on the wolf and spoke, "I'm not sure how this is going to work." The wolf stood up and started walking away. Again, I felt something going on inside of me akin to strings being stretched. I ignored it and looked over at my car. "It's not going to be easy to get me in the back seat." My car was a 1971 VW Super Beetle and I was beginning to get nervous at the prospect of them trying to maneuver me into it.

He replied, "Don't worry, we'll take care of you." As he spoke the other wolf reappeared, only this time he was a man. I looked over at him and quivered internally as my gaze met his. Whatever the feeling was going on internally, it had just solidified its bonds and locked itself into place. He made his way over to me and knelt down to my level. He put a hand on my shoulder and introduced himself, "Hello, Shalena, I'm Jacob." I smiled and responded, "Nice to meet you, Jacob. Thanks for what you did back there."

Jacob looked down and smiled, "I'm just glad you're not dead. When I heard you and him talking, I had to come and save you. I'm just sorry you got knocked into this tree in the process."

"Don't be sorry. I probably wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for you and Sam. My wounds will heal and I be able to go on living life. I have you to thank for that." I looked into his eyes again and smiled in gratitude. Sam walked up to us. "Okay, I've got everything ready to go. Let's get you in the car."


	3. A Peaceful Escape

Hi lovies! I'm really having fun writing this story and letting the characters start to reveal themselves. Keep checking back, there are more chapters on the way. If we're lucky I might even get another one done and posted late tonight. **Crosses fingers and winks**

Enjoy!

With much glee...Chapter 3!

~A Peaceful Escape~

Jacob rose to his feet and both him and Sam looked down at me. Sam spoke first, "Okay, here's the plan. Jake and I are going to get either side of you and help you stand up, then we are going to help you to the car trying to avoid your leg bending or moving more than it has to." Jacob and I both nodded as Sam checked to see if we were on board so far. He saw that we were and continued on, " Jake when we reach Shalena's car, I want you to get in the back seat so you can help her actually get in and make sure she's okay while we drive back to La Push."

I trusted that Sam knew what he was doing because even though Sam and Jake seemed to have a lot in common, Sam seemed to have more wisdom than his counterpart. I guessed it was just because he was clearly older than Jacob was. Both men came down to either side of me and leaned down. Jake asked, "Are you ready, Shalena?" His eyes looking expectantly and his voice laden with concern. I took a deep breath as my heart began pounding. "I'm as ready as I'm going to be. There's no avoiding it, right?" I said trying to sound brave.

Inside I was anything but brave. My emotions were swirling around inside of me not just because of the impending trip to my car, but because of my body's response to Jake saying my name. It made me nervous because the response was as involuntary as it was natural. I had to talk myself down because I was about to be in my car with these guys for two hours and I didn't want to completely embarrass myself. It must just be that I've been through too much and I'm losing my guard. At any rate, both of them could hear my heart racing and they would notice sooner or later that it had to do with Jacob. Specifically, our interactions with one another. It wouldn't be that hard to figure out and I definitely didn't want that little discovery to be made.

Sam and Jake gently put their strong arms around me and I lifted my arms to rest on their broad shoulders. Sam told me to tell them when I was prepared to stand up. I didn't speak, instead inclining my chin down once in reply to signal them. They lifted me up carefully and as I came to a standing position I sucked in a breath at the pain. Jake gripped me more tightly while Sam kept his grip strong and steady. Jake offered me his hand to use to steady my self and I gratefully took it. We made quick work of getting to the car and when we got there Jake carefully unglued himself from my side and got into my car. He scooted to the middle of the seat and put out his arms to help Sam put me in. Sam said soothingly, "Shalena, this is probably going to be the worst part, but we'll try and make it quick." I just nodded in response, too scared at the pain that I knew was coming. Sam somehow handed me to Jake and I was almost all the way in the car. Jake cradled me in his arms and moved as far over to one side as possible while Sam held my leg straight.

"Jake make sure to hold her so that she moves as little as possible." Sam said as he pushed the seat back into place and got into the car. "I'll make sure you're okay Shalena. Let me know if you get uncomfortable." Jake said softly, more to me than to Sam. "Okay, I will." I whispered softly back. The engine roared to life and Sam pulled out onto the road and headed into the direction of La Push. The car was silent as we made our way to their reservation and my body began to show signs of the ordeal it had been through. I tried to relax and focus on my breathing to block it out. I became so focused on my breathing that I didn't notice Jake had taken my arm and begun stroking it. It was like he was in tune with what I was going through and trying to do what he could to help me through it. I craned my neck to look into his face and smiled up at him. Since I had stopped focusing on my breathing a wave of utter exhaustion came over me like fog rolling into the San Francisco Bay in the morning. My muscles relaxed and I sunk into Jake's warmth and nodded off into a deep sleep feeling Jake tighten his hold on me as I did.

When I awoke Sam and Jake were having a conversation. As I listened in with my eyes still heavy with sleep, I tried to make sense of what they were talking about. "...Shouldn't have been that far out, Jake." Sam spoke with a tone of authority.

"I needed to get away for awhile, Sam. Besides, if I hadn't been down around Pacific Beach, who knows what would've happened to her." Jake seemed to be getting frustrated that Sam wasn't seeing eye to eye with him and as he finished his sentence I could feel him shift his gaze to me. "Jake don't be like that. You know I'm happy we were able to keep her from getting killed or turned, but that doesn't excuse your actions. We are a pack and anytime one of us loses focus, lets our priorities get out of whack, or separates from the pack it weakens us all." I could feel Jake's chest tighten and then I heard him huff as if he was resigning himself to surrender to what Sam was saying. "I know you're in a tough place right now and you know we are all here for you, but you can't put our pack at risk while you're trying to recover. It's been months Jake, have you ever thought it might be time to let go, especially now considering what's happened. You don't even like what Bella's become and you sure as hell shouldn't put her through any crap. She seems like she's been through enough already. Not just with what happened to her tonight, but it seems like there's more going on. You don't want to make it worse, you want to make it better and you're not going to do it while spinning out because of Bella."

I listened intently to Sam's words and even though I understood they were talking about me and someone named Bella, I didn't understand why Sam was telling Jake that he basically owed it to me to stop whatever he was doing. Jake doesn't even know me, so why would he owe me anything? I felt like I was missing a lot of details and the deeper they got in the conversation, the more questions I came up with that I wanted to ask. I yawned and sat up a little to let them know I was waking up and their conversation stopped. I saw Sam give Jake a warning glance in the rearview mirror as I turned to look out the window. I think they thought I'd missed the exchange, but when it comes to body language I don't miss much. There hadn't been any anger behind the warning, only concern and love, so I figured Jake must be going through something really difficult, maybe even painful. The wheels in my head were turning as I was trying to analyzes their conversation and I knew I would get frustrated if I didn't stop. I reminded myself of what my dad used to say, "Not everything needs to be figured out, sweet pea, and sometimes it's not your job. Either way, everything always seems to work itself out in the end." I smiled at the memories of all the times my father had gently reminded me that I didn't need to save everyone I came across and that even without me problems could solve themselves. Jake looked down at me and said, "What's that smile about?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just remembering something. Where are we?"

Sam looked up from the road, "We're about ten minutes away from the doctor's house. We should call and let him know what's going on. Shalena, can we borrow your cell phone?"

"Sure, it's in the small pocket on the side of my purse. Oh wait, it might be in the glove box." I said starting out confident and ending with a hint of uncertainty. Sam reached for my purse on the floor and set it on the passenger seat beside him. His hands reached into the pockets and searched them, but he came up empty. Next, I heard the glove box open and papers being lifted. "Um, Shalena, it's not here." I pressed my lips together trying to think of where I put it. "Okay, try looking in the side pocket in the door." I said, clearly guessing at this point. I felt Jake chuckle quietly and turned, "So I take it you're not good at keeping track of you phone." Amusement playing in his voice. I bit my lower lip and answered, "No, I actually am horrible at keeping track of my phone and I'm even worse at answering it because I always put it on silent and forget to turn it back to normal. People have been known to have love affairs with my voicemail it's so bad." By now Sam had joined Jake as his chuckle gave way to laughter. "I'm glad you two find it so funny, I assure you most people don't and you won't either if I stay around here for long." As soon as I made the comment about 'if' I stayed Jake's laughter seemed to die down and I could sense him getting tense, though I didn't quite understand why.

Sam cut in and spoke before the conversation could go any further. "Okay, I'm going to call Carlisle now. You two pipe down." As he dialed and waited for the doctor to pick up, I leaned back into Jake's side and watched the trees go by. Sam began talking and filling in the doctor on what had happened and as I listened to him talk I looked around in the car at these two guys who I didn't know that were making sure to take care of me. As Sam finished his conversation and hung up, I chuckled to myself. "What's funny?" Sam asked, looking in the mirror to see my smiling chuckle. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just I was looking at you guys in my tiny car and no offense, but you two look kind of out of place. I mean you're both so tall and muscular it's a little bit of a funny picture. That's all."

Jake commented, "Well, if the thought of us in your tiny beetle brings a smile to your face after all that you've been through then I don't mind if you laugh at us."

"Well, it does seem to be distracting me from the pain..." I said as I leaned against him once more, feeling his arms come around me as I did. "It helps that you're so warm too." I said slightly unaware of the words coming out of my mouth as I closed my eyes. I didn't hear if Jake responded or not, but I felt him lower his head to nuzzle my neck. Almost as soon as he did, he caught himself and pulled back, but stayed closer than he had been before. I felt the car turn and then roll to stop. I opened my eyes to see Sam open the door and step out to pull the seat forward so we could begin the process of trying to get me out. I thought that he and Jake were going to get me out much in the same way they got me in until I noticed there were people standing outside of the car. A tall man with light blond hair walked up beside Sam and knelt down. As soon as I saw him up close and tensed up as my body involuntarily tried to move away from him in a fit of fear and trepidation that was only amplified by the fact that there was nowhere to go.

"Shalena, I will not hurt you, I assure you my intentions are only to help." I listened to his words, but still stayed back and guarded. Jake spoke soothingly into my ear, "Calm down, he won't hurt you, I promise. We've known him for a long time and he's a good person. Trust me. I'm here to protect you." I relaxed at the sound of his voice, but I didn't miss the fact that Jake had become more protective of me in the presence of these vampires, good person or not. I looked back at the doctor who I now knew was a vampire. "I'm am Carlisle Cullen and I'm going to make sure you're okay." He paused and looked up at Sam, "I'm going to need to set her leg temporarily so we don't injure her further when we take her from the car." He looked off to the other side of him and spoke, "Edward, come and bring what we will need to brace her legs. Also, please bring something to dull her pain in a vile."

I expected to wait for a couple of minutes, but only a minute had past and Edward appeared with the things Carlisle had asked for. Edward introduced himself to me and told me he was going to give me an injection to ease my pain. As soon as I saw him stick the needle in the vile and draw out the medicine, I turned and tried to bury myself in Jake's warm chest. Jake reached down to stroke me hair and I felt a tiny prick as Edward gave me the shot. "We will wait a few minutes for the medicine to take effect." Carlisle said to no one in particular.

I just stayed burrowed in Jake's arms while I waited and soon I felt the pain begin to go away. I spoke to Carlisle, "I think it's working now, can we go?" A weakness I'd never heard before evident in me. "Yes, we may. Carlisle looked away and begin to direct us as to what we were going to to. "Sam, climb into the car and work with Jake to lift her up and guide her slowly out of the car. Edward and I will ensure her leg stays secure and help lift her when she gets far enough. Shalena, try to straighten your body and lay your arms crossed over your chest. As we pull you out you will need to work to stay as still as possible." I nodded and said okay.

Sam did as Carlisle had instructed and Edward reach in to support my injured leg as Sam and Jake lift me up and guided me out of the car. I felt Carlisle's cold arms come under my legs for support. Edward moved his arms so that he was supporting my thighs while Carlisle was support my calves. Jake had moved to my left side while Sam moved to right so that they could keep me straight. Whatever Edward had giving me was beginning to make me loopy and as the men worked together to bring me up the steps to the house I chuckled at the comedy of the situation I found myself in. I felt there eyes focus in on me and looked up to find confused looks on their faces. "I'm sorry," I started, realizing my words were coming out slurred, "It's just this must be like the 'light as a feather, stiff as a board' olympics or maybe even a marathon." I giggled some more. They smiled at my amusement, but continued to remain rather serious as we reached the door of what I assumed was the Cullen's house. As they carried me further into the house to the room where Carlisle and Edward would examine my injuries, the medicine caused me to drift off into a sea of nothingness. I was happy to finally be able to escape the pain of my injuries and allow my mind to drift far away from the reality of the vampire's attack into a place of peace and calm. Somewhere in my sleepy journey, Jake appeared and wrapped me in his warm embrace before leaning back so his eyes could meet mine. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you Shalena. Just rest and let them help you get better." Jake said to me and then he leaned in and kissed my lips softly. Even though I enjoyed the vision going on in my dreams, I questioned it in the back of my mind. What was I thinking? Sure, Jake and Sam saved me, but that doesn't mean I should fall for one of them. I've never even liked the whole damsel in distress scenario. Still, I thought as my heart fluttered up to challenge my mind's ability to reason, if I had to choose a knight in shining armor to save me it would be someone like Jake.


	4. Thou Doth Protest Too Much

Author's Note: Hey lovies! This is my longest chapter yet. It took me longer to write this one than it did for any of the others, but I enjoyed the challenge of trying to get Edward/Carlisle's way of talking down. I thought you all might be amused to find out that my beta, bless her heart, has taken to calling Shalena, Shanesmee anytime she's giving me feedback. It makes me laugh every time she says it. For anybody that's watched any of Tyler Perry's Madea movies, imagine Madea saying Shanesmee and you'll have a pretty good idea of how my beta sounds when she says it.

As for characters: I don't own Twilight or any of Stephenie Meyer's original characters, but as for Shalena and Carrie Ateara they're mine all mine, god help 'em! LOL!

Now don't be a bore...read chapter 4!

~Thou Doth Protest Too Much~

Even as my heart and mind argued, I could feel my reaction to the dream and was only interrupted by someone gently shaking me awake. As I slowly opened my eyes and looked around I saw Carlisle looking at me. "How am I doing, doc?" I questioned with a small smile. Carlisle reached up to touch my head and spoke, "Your condition has been improving steadily. I sedated you for the first 2 days to allow your body to rest. I expected you to wake when I tapered the amount of medicine I gave you, but you seemed content to sleep. I did not foresee any harm this would bring to you, so I allowed it. Edward entered the room while Carlisle was speaking. He walked over to the tall windows that overlooked the forest and stood to watch the wind weave through the trees while Carlisle and I talked. "Carlisle, how long have I been sleeping?"

"You have slept for the better part of a week and a half." When he saw the awed expression on my face, he added, "Sometimes when our bodies are attempting to heal themselves, they take control of certain functions and no longer allow a choice between being asleep or awake for example. In addition to your injuries, I believe your body was trying to give you time to process what occurred at Pacific Beach and all of the new information you were given by Sam."

"Hmm, I guess I'm glad I slept for such a long time then. I definitely feel better than I did when Jake and Sam brought me here." I paused for a moment wondering were they were. "So, can you explain to me what happened to my leg when I kicked the ma-, I mean vampire?" The word vampire seemed to still be foreign to my lips as it spilled into the room. Carlisle nodded and looked over to the window where Edward was still standing with a pensive expression. "Edward, please go retrieve the x-rays from my study." Edward nodded and walked out of the room.

I took a minute to really take a good look at Carlisle. "So...I don't mean to offend you by what I'm about to say, but if you and your family are vampires, why haven't you attacked me? Does it have anything to do with why Sam and Jake trust you even though they're made to kill your kind?" He smiled down at me assuring me that my questions did not offend him. "You see, Shalena, the way in which my family and I differ from who attacked you is that we do not allow ourselves to attack and feed on humans. Instead, we sustain ourselves by feeding off of animals. It was not my wish to become what I am, so I decided to try and make it the best situation possible. It was difficult when I first became a vampire, but I was able to maintain self control and live the most normal life I possibly could given my unique circumstance."

"And how did you and your family come together?" I asked him.

"My family all presented themselves in different ways. I wasn't always the one to transform them, but I crossed paths with them and eventually we came together as a makeshift family."

"So you're all basically trying to live as humans even though you're vampires?" As I said it I realized my words came out harshly. "I guess what I mean is even though you have all somehow been turned into something that naturally does horrible things, you've tried to turn it into something good?"

"Yes, Shalena, you could view it as such." Sometime during our conversation Edward had come back in carrying the x-rays of my leg. He handed them to Carlisle who held them in front of the window so that the sunlight could shine through them. I thought to myself something about how thankful I was that the Cullens had taken care of me, but also that they hadn't sucked my blood in the process. At about the same time the thought popped into my head, I felt Edward staring at me and looked over to where he was standing only to find an amused looking Edward staring back at me. Did I say that out loud? He only seemed to think whatever it was that he was thinking was even more funny. "Are my x-rays amusing to you, Edward?" I said in a smart tone. "No, I was just thinking of something." He answered awkwardly. "Oh." I replied flatly, turning my attention back to Carlisle who was giving Edward a looking of slight warning.

He cleared his throat and began explaining my injuries. "Edward, please come hold this to the glass." Edward complied and walked across the room. "Alright, it seems as though the impact of your knee colliding with his side broke your patella which is your knee cap. This x-ray shows me that it was a clean fracture, see here." I nodded looking intently at my bones trying to understand and make sense of it all. "Now, there is a secondary fracture, here, in the part of your femur, that is this bone here, that connects to your patella." Carlisle said as I was reminded of the song I had learned when I was younger that went something like, the ankle bone's connected to the leg bone. I smiled warmly at the distracting memory as it passed and then got myself refocused on Carlisle's explanation. "Wow, I can't believe that happened. I just don't understand how he could've been so hard. Are all of you like that?" I asked incredulously. "I'm afraid so, yes. It's part of what makes vampires such lethal predators." Carlisle stated regretfully. "It's just another thing that makes us different from humans." Edward added. "Edward, don't start." Carlisle warned.

I shrugged off their exchange and continued, "How long will I be in this cast, Carlisle?" I asked in an anxious voice. "Approximately 6 weeks, Shalena." He paused to give me time to take his words in. "I would like to ask you to stay in this area until the fractures have healed so I can treat you and watch over your recovery." I looked away and pressed my lips together in thought. I knew that before this I hadn't had a destination, let alone a plan, but I also knew that I would be stuck around here for 6 weeks surrounded by people I didn't know all that well. Then, there was the issue of where I would stay. I decided that maybe this was where I was meant to be for the time being. As I went to respond I heard footsteps coming from down the hall and then watched as Jake and Sam appeared in the doorway. Sam spoke up first, "Hi Shalena, is it alright if we come in?"

"Sure" I told him and they stepped over to the bed where I was laying. I said hello to both of them and continued my conversation with Carlisle. "I guess staying is the best option."

"Alright, do you have any family that you would like to call?"

"I do, but I don't want to call just yet. I want to get settled first. So, can you guys help me find a place to stay, like a room or something?" I looked around at all of them.

Carlisle was the first to speak up, "We can if that's what you would like. There are plenty of places around here, so it shouldn't be a problem. You are also welcome the stay in our home if you wish."

Jake blurted out, "No, that's not okay." He looked down into my eyes to gauge my reaction. Although I wasn't too comfortable with the idea of staying with a bunch of vampires, I wasn't used to having someone trying to step in before I even got the chance to make a decision. I'm not sure why, but at that moment my stubborn streak decided to rear its ugly head.

"What is it that's not okay, me staying with the Cullen family or something else?" My tone wasn't harsh or mean, yet it was evident that I wasn't crazy about him butting in.

"Both, I don't think you should stay with vampires even if they don't attack humans. Carlisle, you know this would be reckless. And you're in no condition to be by yourself Shalena." Jake said with care. Even so I could see it was affecting him more deeply than he was letting on. I couldn't figure out why though.

I reached over and laid my hand over his to reassure him. "Don't worry Jake, I'm not going to stay here with Carlisle and his family. As much as I appreciate both of your offers, I would like to call around and see if there's an inn that I could stay at."

Sam interjected, "Look, Shalena, it's really no problem for us to give you a place to stay and help you out. Once you've recovered you can go on your way, but for now please consider staying with us. My fiance Emily has set up a room for you and loves having people over anyways. It's really no trouble at all." I thought about what Sam and Jake had said and how if things were different I might be alright staying with them. My thoughts snagged themselves on one painful detail, I was still on an emotional roller coaster trying to deal with my father's death and needed time to grieve. It would be easy to distract myself if I were around people and skip grieving or at least temporarily avoid it. I was only human after all and humans usually try and do what is the least painful. Another thing I was worried about was that if I stayed with Sam and Emily, the grieving might not stop and I would end up embarrassing myself, or at the very least giving them more than they bargained for.

"Sam, Jake, I understand what you're saying and I really do appreciate you're concern for me, but I have my own reasons for wanting things this way. I'm sorry that I can't go into them and help you both to understand, but I need you to trust my decision." Towards the end I felt like I was talking more to Jake than to Sam, but it didn't matter because they both seemed to have heard what I had to say. I saw something raw flash through Jake's eyes and saw him frown in defeat. I rubbed his hand and said bravely, "Don't be so upset. I'll be fine. I have to do it this way." My words didn't seem to be working. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, either one of you can come by and check on me to see how I'm doing. Would that help?" His spirits brightened a little as he answered. "Okay, but I still don't like this idea." Jake grumbled. Sam cast a warning glance at Jake and spoke, "I guess that will have to do. You are definitely stubborn when you want to be. How's once a day sound? One of us could stop by, maybe bring you something to eat."

"That sounds like something I can live with. I really do appreciate how much you all have done for me, more than you know."

Carlisle nodded in agreement while Edward seemed to have no discernible emotion regarding my lodging and care. "Well, it seems we have a plan."

"So any recommendations from you locals?" I said cheerfully trying to ignore the gnawing in my stomach I was feeling knowing I did something that obviously didn't sit right with Jake. Jake looked over at Sam who had his cell phone in his hands and was scrolling through his address book.

"I think I know a place that will be just right. We can probably get you a deal since you're staying for more than a couple of nights." Sam said with a smile. "Let me make a call."

Outside Sam was talking to Quil, "Hey, so Shalena decided she was going to stay at an inn."

"Wow, and Jake was okay with that?" Quil said sounding amazed.

Sam scratched his head as he paced slowly, "Well, I wouldn't exactly say that Jake agreed, but she seems to have her reasons for wanting it this way. In the end I think Jake figured that he would just have to accept it for now."

"Okay, so do you want me to do something?" Quil got straight to the point.

"Well, I'm hoping Shalena can stay at the resort and that your grams will cut us a deal. Shalena going to be here for at least six weeks and since it's off peak season I figure Carrie wouldn't mind lending a hand."

"No problem, she's here cooking with my mom, hold on." Sam listened as Quil walked into the kitchen and spoke to his grandmother in Quileute. He smiled to himself, proud that as alpha he had made sure the guys honored the Quileute way and carried on their legacy. Quil put the phone to his ear to reply and as he spoke Sam could hear both women swatting Quil away trying in vain to get him to stop his sneak attack on the meal they were preparing. Quil just laughed playfully and walked into the living room.

"Grams says it will be fine. Oh, and she can stay for free. If she's not okay with that, Grams said Shalena can pay her a small flat rate and keep her company a couple of times a week."

"Okay, thanks for helping me get this squared away. I wanted to make sure it was on our territory so Jake wouldn't completely lose his mind."

"Smart thinking, Alpha. That must be why you're the leader."

"Oh, can it Quil," Sam bit back playfully.

"What! You're talking like Jake's going to be normal when she's away from him. Have you missed the past week and a half or what?" Quil laughed.

"Whatever, all we need to do right now is get her over to one of the cabins and settled in. Look, I gotta go and get this taken care of. Edward's here."

"Okay, call if there's anything else."

"K, talk to ya later Quil."

Sam hung up and looked to Edward. "I assume you have made arrangements for her accomodations."

"Yes, she'll be staying in a cabin at the Quileute Oceanside Resort."

"Good, that should be sufficient. Sam, there is something I must tell you regarding Shalena."

"Go on." Sam urged Edward to continue, clearly curious as to what Edward was going to say.

"Shalena's going through something that I don't believe she's told either one of you about. It's why she was insistent regarding her lodging. She's recently lost her father and from what I can gather she had been trying to take some time to grieve by leaving Portland where her life is."

"Did she tell you this or did you read her thoughts?" Sam asked.

"She hasn't spoken about it, but she thinks about it often and I thought it might help you, but mostly Jake to understand why she wants to do things the way she does." Edward said thoughtfully. "Although Bella and I are married and I truly believe she is the love of my life, I still feel bad knowing the pain it caused Jake, so I guess I'm trying to help him by trying to ease his pain in regards to Shalena."

"I appreciate you doing that Edward. I'll tell Jacob when we get back to my house after dropping her off. We should be careful though Edward, because something tells me that even though Shalena's this small, meek human if she found out that you were reading her thoughts and telling us about them, we might have a bit of a fireball to contend with." Sam said this with a smile because the idea of two supernatural creatures being afraid of a human was hilarious. At the same time he realized that she probably was the type that wouldn't be afraid to try and kick their butts.

"I will be cautious with what I gain from her thoughts. You needn't worry." Edward answered honestly.

"Okay, thanks. Now let's go back inside and get her ready to go."

~Meanwhile inside~

After Sam walked out, Shalena spoke, "Thank you Carlisle for treating my injuries. I know that you said you would monitor my recovery and I was wondering if I could pay you for all that you're doing for me."

"I assure you, Shalena, that won't be necessary." Carlisle answered without a second thought. He looked from me to Jake and headed towards the door. "You should be okay while you and Jake wait for Sam to finish making your arrangements. You're well enough that you can leave tonight if you wish. I'll be back shortly." He gave me a comforting smile and walked out into the hall.

The room stayed quiet for a few minutes after everyone left except for Jake who had walked away from my bed to look at a painting on one of the walls. I took the moment to really look at him. I had seen him, but in all the chaos I never really got the chance to truly see him without being interrupted. As he stood to study the painting I watched him from the side. His skin was like dark honey and was warm just like his russet fur when he was a wolf. Everything about him seemed warm and cozy. Even his temperature matched. He seemed out of place in the coolness of the Cullen's house. I continued watching. He was very tall and had broad, muscular shoulders that made me think back to when I had leaned on him as he was standing guard while Sam was putting my stuff in my car. I know we didn't know each other very well, but I felt like those shoulders would carry me if I ever needed them to. My eyes moved to his handsome face and rested there. I could only see his profile, but I could tell he was thinking hard about something and he was feeling frustrated and conflicted like he was trying to solve something he had no control over. It didn't take me long to guess that I was at the center of the conflict going on within him. When I saw that, I stopped. I actually felt bad for causing him to feel the way he must have been feeling. I knew the decision I'd made was the best one for me, but at the moment I was wishing there was a way I could have done it without causing him trouble. I looked at his mouth and remembered when his lips were smiling and laughing in the car and frowned. They were not smiling now and it made me sad to watch him. He turned from the painting and saw me looking at him. He bit his lip before asking if I was okay.

"Ya, I'm okay." I lied. Jake wasn't buying it.

"But you were frowning."

I knew I had no choice but to be honest. "It's just I was watching you look at the painting and you weren't smiling. I know I'm the one who caused you not to smile and it kind of makes me sad."

Jake had walked back over and was sitting on the bed. He took my small hand in his much larger ones and spoke softly, "I just wish you would let us take you to Sam and Emily's. We would take care of you and I would know that you were okay."

I brought my other hand over to rest on his wrist. "I can see it upsets you and I'm not trying to be mean by saying this, but I really don't get why it is you care about me so much.

He let out a sigh, "I'm not sure I can explain it, but I feel a connection to you and I want to protect you...make sure you're taken care of. Can you please just try not to fight it when I want to?" Emotion was woven through his voice and I felt my heartbeat picking up its pace in response to his words.

"Okay, I'll try not to, but I can't make any promises. All I can say is, I don't want to hurt you and I'll do my best not to." When I finished talking Jake was smiling and I thought about the dream I had where Jake had taken me into the safety of his arms and said "I'll make sure nothing happens to you Shalena. Just rest and let them help you get better." The dream made me smile as I realized it was pretty close to reality. I smiled back at Jake as I thought to myself, maybe our kiss in the dream will become reality too. At about that time, Edward and Sam walked back into the room and I was pulled out of my imagination. Jake let go of my hands and stood up looking to Sam.

I asked, "So what did you find out, Expedia?" Giggling a bit, suddenly finding myself feeling giddy.

"Quil's grandmother, Carrie, owns a resort on our reservation in La Push. She said you could stay for free in one of the cabins." The three of them watched as my expression showed that I didn't like the idea of mooching off of one of their friend's grandmothers. "Hey, take it easy, she also said if you weren't okay with that idea she would be willing to accept a flat fee with the condition that you spend a bit of time talking with her a couple of times a week." I thought about it and decided that this might be an opportunity to learn more about the area and the Quileute tribe.

"Okay, as long as she'll actually let me pay for the cabin, I think that sounds perfect." Jake seemed as relieved as Sam did when I didn't protest.

"Okay, well, your bags are still in your car, so we can leave now." said Sam.

"Alright, let's get going then."

That's all for now. Hope you guys had as much fun reading this chapter as I did writing it.

Now since I wasn't blessed with Edward's talent for accessing people's minds, spill your thoughts out in a review and let me know what you think. :)) Please with cherries loves!


	5. A Good Kind of Tangled

~A Good Kind of Tangled~

Dusk settled in as Sam pulled the car into the parking spot outside of the cabin where I would be staying. I awoke when I heard both Jake and Sam open the doors. All of the talking at the Cullen's house had left me feeling exhausted and I had fallen asleep less than five minutes into the short drive over to the Oceanside Resort. Jake pulled back the seat and reached in to help me out of the car while Sam took my stuff into the cabin. I sighed to myself as I used Jake to steady myself, this would be my home for the next month or so, I hope I like it.

We got inside and I had a chance to look around. There was a small kitchen that was open to the living room. A breakfast table by a bay window that overlooked the ocean. I smiled, I could see myself sitting there watching the waves a lot in the coming weeks. In the living room there were two chairs and a couch in front of a fireplace. The furniture was carved with intricate Quileute designs that stood out as beautiful. There was a door leading into the bedroom where I found Sam had put my things and turned the lights on. While the guys were out in the living room talking, I took a moment to breathe. I realized I was getting anxious not only at the idea that I was no longer moving along on my journey, but that I had once again been attacked and I was going to be alone here which was a good and a bad thing. I knew I could get on the road again once my leg was healed, so I would just have to let it be for the meantime. That still left the good and bad being alone part. I moved my crutches and hobbled back into the living room. Jake and Sam stopped talking and looked up. I bit my bottom lip, "I know I said I wanted to be alone, but this is the first night I've been alone since the night in the forest. I'm kinda a little nervous..."

"Well, we could take you back to one of our houses just for tonight until you get used to this place." Sam ventured. "Ya, it wouldn't be any trouble." Jake added.

"Um, I was thinking, could one of you maybe stay here for the night?" I knew in my heart I had really wanted to just ask Jake if he would stay, but I wasn't ready to let him know I had feelings just yet.

"I'll stay." Jake piped up rather quickly. I saw that he was blushing a little at his revealing answer. Sam gave him a surprised look and jumped in to try to cover for him. "Ya, I would stay, but I need to get home to Emily. I haven't seen her in two days. Jake can stay."

"Ok, thanks." I responded.

"Speaking of which, I should be getting home, if that's alright with you."

"Sure, I'll be fine here with Jake."

"Ok, great. Jake give me a call in the morning. I'll see you tomorrow Shalena."

"No problem Sam." Jake got up from the chair and walked to the door with Sam.

"Goodbye Sam, thanks for everything. I appreciate it." I flashed him a grateful smile.

"No problem." He answered back with a smile and a nod of his head like all that he had done for me was child's play.

Jake shut the front door and turned to look at me. "Ok, you really need to get off your feet little one. Do you want to stay out here or go lay down?" Now it was my turn to blush as butterflies fluttered about in my stomach. I didn't miss his nickname for me. If he called me that later, I would definitely have fun answering back. I saw that Jake had seen me blush and probably didn't miss the mischievous look that flashed across my features.

"I think I want to stay out here, so I can watch some tv."

"Ok, great. Let me help you." He said nervously tucking his lips. "Do you want to go to the chair or the couch?"

"I think the chair so I can prop my leg up."

Jake said with a playful tone, "Ok, let's make this easy."

"How so?" I asked, a little confused.

A smile played at his lips before he answered and looking me in the eyes he said, "By carrying you little one."

I smirked up as he came up to me. "Little one? Who are you calling little Jacob?" As he looked into my eyes, I felt his arm on my back.

"You, I calling you little, little one." Using his nickname again for effect. He was smiling widely at my reaction. "Now let me take care of you. Remember you promised." Jake reminded.

"Ok, but if you drop me..." I didn't get a chance to finish because before I knew it Jake had picked me up and was carrying me across the room. I laughed as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I'm not five, you know?" Smiling into his deep brown orbs. "I know little one."

Something like a giggle and growl came from my lips and I playfully smacked him in his chest. Jake just laughed. "Maybe sassy would be a better name." He leaned down to set me in the chair. I kept my hold on his shoulders.

"Oh, you don't want to do that, hot stuff. I just might live up to it." I countered back rather daringly. He looked surprised at my slip, but quickly schooled himself. Leaning closer to me, Jake said softly, "You say that like it's a bad thing." We stayed like that for a moment and as much as I wanted to kiss him, I knew wasn't ready yet. Jake seemed to understand and stood up moving over to the couch next to my chair. My heart quivered a little as I felt the moment pass.

I took the remote and flicked the tv on. "Is there anything you want to watch?"

"No, I'm fine with whatever you choose." He said quietly.

I found an episode of Friends and left it there. After a few minutes, both of us had stopped following what was going on in the show. I think it was because we were both thinking about what had happened. Well, almost happened anyway. Jake glanced over at me. "So hot stuff, huh?" I decided to be more daring this time. "Well it's true." I looked at him answering confidently.

"So, you think I'm hot?" He said with a cocky air, his eyes flirting with me. My breathing picked up slightly and my heart started to drum. Nibbling at my lip and letting it break into a flirtatious smile of my own, I said, "Ya. I think you are." He blushed and still looking into my eyes, he leaned forward, "Well, that's good because I think you're gorgeous."

I leaned in towards him, drawn in by the connection I felt and rested my hand on his blushing cheek. I felt Jake's warm hand touch the side of my neck and stay there. He seemed to be waiting to make sure I was ready this time and as I stared transfixed by what I was feeling, I moved my hand to his soft lips, gingerly touching them with my fingers. The contact on spurred me on and as I moved my hand back to his now very hot cheek, Jake knew I was giving him permission. Then it happened. Jake slid his hand to my jaw, guiding me to him and then he met me halfway. Our wanting lips touched for the first time. It was an amazing kiss! Our lips felt like they were two puzzle pieces that God had made to fit with only each other. Even our hands felt like they were only meant for Jake's to touch me and mine to touch Jake.

The tug I had felt inside, now felt like a bunch of cords tangling themselves with Jake's and as we stopped to catch our breaths, I felt a third string come wrap around our tangle love that felt like fate.


	6. Painful Connection

Chapter Six

~Painful Connection~

We went in for another kiss. I could feel Jake's warm touch and basked in it. Our kiss got more intense as we continued. I felt Jake break away and say "Why don't you come over here?" He didn't wait for my answer, but I was in full agreement anyway. If kissing Jake had done one thing above all others, it made me want to be closer to him...made me miss being in his arms. I leaned forward in the chair and Jake carried me to the couch. He sat down with me on his lap and wrapped his arms around me. We kissed for the third time and this time the kiss settled into one of comfort for both of us. It almost felt as if our hearts were working on healing each other. I'm not sure how long it lasted, but we eventually stopped kissing and just enjoyed being in the arms of one another. I fell asleep as his deep chocolate eyes swam with my hazel ones.

~The Next Morning~

I woke up slowly taking time to think about last night. Looking at Jake sleeping deeply, I studied his beauty wondering how this all could've happened. I finally gave up trying to reason things out in my head and snuggled into his chest. His arms instinctively wrapped more tightly around me. Then I heard a knock at the door and felt Jake stirring. I groaned and asked, "Can't they go away?" Jake just laughed leaning down to kiss me on my neck. Another knock sounded. "I should really get up and answer it."

I looked at him with a pout and said, "No." Surprising myself by sounding a little like a defiant child. Jake continued laughing and moved to get up. "I'm not going anywhere Shalena." I just responded by sticking my tongue out. "I saw that!" He said even though he was facing away from me opening the door to Sam and Emily. "Oh, and I suppose werewolves have eyes in the backs of their heads." I said giggling at Sam and Emily's faces. Jake looked at Sam and still smiling whispered, "She's feisty in the morning."

"I can see that. Looks like you're enjoying it." Even though Jake and I were playing around, Sam's answer carried a seriousness in it, a detail I hadn't missed.

By now I was sitting up on the couch. "Hi, you must be Emily. I'm Shalena."

Emily sat down in one of the chairs. "Hi Shalena, it's nice to meet you. The boys have been talking about you, it's nice to have a face to go with a name. How's your leg doing?"

"So far, so good, I guess. It's a pain to have to hobble around of these crutches, but I'm getting through it." I lowered my voice to a whisper and Emily leaned in closer. "Jacob seems to have a knack for distracting me." Emily giggled under her breath as both of us took a quick glance at the guys. The fact that we were talking about at least one of them had not gone unchecked.

Emily directed our conversation away from Jake, but not before commenting that she hadn't seen Jake like this in awhile. On one hand I was tempted to ask what she meant, but on the other hand I was afraid of what her explanation might be, so I just let it go. "So, I actually came over to cook us all some breakfast, or brunch I mean. Do you mind if I use the kitchen?"

"No, not at all. I would love to help you cook, but standing doesn't seem to be in my repertoire at the moment." I said feeling useless and awkward as I said it. I wasn't used to having to rely on people. Emily looked at me kind of funny. "It's really no problem, Shalena. I don't really mind cooking. It will be nice to cook for someone who might take time to enjoy my food instead of wolfing it down. No pun intended!"

San interjected, "Honey, you know we love your cooking."

Jake quickly added, "We really do enjoy it even if we do eat fast."

Rolling her eyes Emily shooed them off and walked into the kitchen. Jake came and sat back down. He smiled at me as Sam and I greeted each other. "Morning Sam, how are you?"

"I'm alright, a little tired from last night, but I nap later so not that bad." He replied yawning.

I thought he was tired from helping me get from the Cullen's house to my cabin last night. "Sorry I have you guys helping me so much. Trust me when I say I'm used to doing things on my own. Well, either that or being the one taking care of everyone else. I finished as embarrassment crept into my voice.

Sam started, "No, it's not like that. I had to patrol the reservation last night...I didn't get much sleep."

"Oh." I mumbled. I needed a break from all these people. I knew Sam and Emily were just two more people in addition to Jacob, but I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed by everything. "Um, I'm going to go freshen up a little. I'll be back out in a while."

"Ok, please take it easy." Jake asked thoughtfully. Apparently he had already picked up on the part of my personality that inspires me to constantly push myself. I took a deep breath as I stood up from the couch and replied, "Ok, I promise."

~In the kitchen~

"Hey Emily, I just wanted to tell you again how much I appreciate you doing this."

"It's no problem, you need the help and I'm able to do it." She replied as she flipped the bacon. I moved to the marble counter and reached up into the oak cabinet to get a mug out. The one I chose was a cool blue-green glazed mug that matched the ocean just outside. I turned it and saw a wolf inlay carved into the side of the mug and smiled in appreciation that Sam and Jacob had saved me. I poured some half and half and some piping hot coffee into the mug and went to go into my bedroom. As I tried to take the first step I realized there was no way I was going to be able to do this with crutches and grunted in frustration. God must be trying to teach how to rely on people. Either that or he doesn't want me to have coffee. Fine, I get it.

"Jake" I sighed in defeat. Jake appeared in the entrance to the kitchen. I was biting my lip to keep from venting how much I disliked having to ask this.

"What's up?"

"Could you take my coffee to the bedroom, please?"

"Sure babe." His answer was simple and he was so willing to help.

I went into the room and Jake turned to look at me.

"Um, where do you want me to set this?"

"I guess just put it on the ledge by the bathroom door."

"Ok." He set the mug down and walked over and gave me a light kiss on my cheek causing me to blush. He smiled as he walked back into the living room and started talking to Sam.

~In the living room~

"So what are we up to today?" Jake asked.

"Well patrols went pretty good last night. Nothing out of the ordinary. So you and Paul won't have to do today's first patrol."

"Ok, well I think I'm going to go back home and work in my shop in a while."

Sam seemed a little surprised. "You're going to leave and go work in the shop when I've given you almost the whole afternoon off?"

"Ya, I know what you thinking. Why don't I stay here and spend time with Shalena?"

"Geez, how'd you know?" Sarcasm was dripping from Sam's voice now.

"Don't get me wrong, I would love to just stay here with her, but I get the feeling she needs time and I don't want to rush and push her away...I just don't want to lose her."

Emily had been listening to the conversation and after Jake finished rambling she stepped in holding her hand up gently to stop any response from Sam.

"He's right Sam. Shalena seems nice, but I can sense that she has a lot on her mind. She seems like she might be flighty and from what you've told me, she's definitely not used to having to get help from others and not being in complete control. Oh, and there's the fact that she was attacked by a vampire when she was already dealing with enough. Jacob's right."

"But..." Sam tried to respond.

"Honey, please trust me on this. Shalena's his imprint, it will work out itself. I know you want Jake to be happy and have love, but we don't need to push this."

Jake had grown quiet. Something in Emily's words had his mind snagged. He found it and turned to the couple sitting right it front of him.

"Wait, what do you mean Shalena was already dealing with enough?"

Emily eyebrows raised in surprise and recognition of Jacob's realization. "Um, it's not really my place to say. I didn't really mean to say it. I should let you and Sam talk."

Before Jacob could answer, Emily got up and walked back into the kitchen.

"What's she talking about Sam?" Jacob said feeling betrayed.

"I was planning on telling you. It's just that when I was trying to set up her accommodations, Edward came out and told me some stuff he found out when he heard Shalena's thoughts."

"He was listening to her thoughts. Why can't he just mind his own business?" Jacob was angered by the mere idea of Edward having anything to do with Shalena.

"I know what it sounds like Jake, but he was actually trying to do you a favor. I think he feels bad about how much him marrying Bella hurt you."

"Right, now he feels bad. Are all of the Cullen's crazy or was he just especially blessed?"

Sam had to chuckle at Jacob's outburst. He himself wasn't crazy about the Cullen's, even though they did work together to protect the area. He had told Edward that this would upset Jacob and he had been right.

"Look, maybe it would just be easier if we phased so you could see the conversation. You have nothing to worry about"

"Fine, let's just go. I'm so mad I need to phase anyway."

"Cool it Jake. You need to keep a clear head." Sam said using his alpha voice.

Jake just shook his head and walked out in surrender. Even though he had immediately calmed down the minute Sam gave the order, he phased the moment his feet hit the porch, not bothering to take anything off. Sam quickly took off his clothes and shoes and phased too.

He ran to catch up with Jacob and spoke though his mind saying, "Jake you need to stop and hear this."

Jacob let out a whimper and Sam could hear his paws slowing to a halt. He soon found Jacob by one of the coastal cliffs sitting in thought. Sam could hear all of them, but for Jacob's sake he tried not to hear them. Sam knew what it felt like to find out that anything was happening to his imprint and wanted to be gentle with Jake.

"Are you ready to see this, Jake?"

"Ya, I guess." Jake muttered sounding somewhat reluctant.

"Ok." Sam opened his mind more to let Jacob in to view the memory he was recalling in his mind.

~Flashback~

Sam hung up and looked to Edward. "I assume you have made arrangements for her accomodations."

"Yes, she'll be staying in a cabin at the Quileute Oceanside Resort."

"Good, that should be sufficient. Sam, there is something I must tell you regarding Shalena."

"Go on." Sam urged Edward to continue, clearly curious as to what Edward was going to say.

"Shalena's going through something that I don't believe she's told either one of you about. It's why she was insistent regarding her lodging. She's recently lost her father and from what I can gather she had been trying to take some time to grieve by leaving Portland where her life is."

"Did she tell you this or did you read her thoughts?" Sam asked.

"She hasn't spoken about it, but she thinks about it often and I thought it might help you, but mostly Jake to understand why she wants to do things the way she does." Edward said thoughtfully. "Although Bella and I are married and I truly believe she is the love of my life, I still feel bad knowing the pain it caused Jake, so I guess I'm trying to help him by trying to ease his pain in regards to Shalena."

"I appreciate you doing that Edward. I'll tell Jacob when we get back to my house after dropping her off. We should be careful though Edward, because something tells me that even though Shalena's this small, meek human if she found out that you were reading her thoughts and telling us about them, we might have a bit of a fireball to contend with." Sam said this with a smile because the idea of two supernatural creatures being afraid of a human was hilarious. At the same time he realized that she probably was the type that wouldn't be afraid to try and kick their butts.

"I will be cautious with what I gain from her thoughts. You needn't worry." Edward answered honestly.

"Okay, thanks. Now let's go back inside and get her ready to go."

~End Flashback~

"Wow, I can't believe she's going through that Sam. She must be in so much pain."

"Ya, I think she is. I think when she told Emily you're a good distraction she wasn't just talking about being distracted from her leg. Use this to help her Jake. You've been through this with your mom's passing."

"Ok, I just wish she didn't have to go through it. Not just her dad dying, but all of it."

Sam sensed Jake's pain and knew there was no way it could be alleviated as long as Shalena was still feeling the emotion.

"I knew you and Emily were connected, but not like this. I can sense what she's feeling and the more time I spend with her, the stronger it gets."

Sam lowered his muzzle and huffed out a breath.

"It won't be easy, but you need to remember that there is a good side to the connection you share. Focus on that when you're trying to help her." Sam said sounding wise.

"It will all work out in the end."

"Ok." Jacob said quietly.

"We should probably head back. Emily's going to kill us if we skip out on this meal." Sam said trying to lighten to mood that hung between them. Jacob just sighed and stood up to start walking towards the cabins.

After they had been walking for a minute or two, Sam spoke up. "Hey Jake, you might want to stop by your place and pick up some clothes before you go back to her."

Jake had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had forgotten about phasing with his clothes still on. "Ya, I guess you're right. I had completely forgotten. I'll meet you there."

"Ok, hurry though. I don't want to catch Emily's wrath."

Jake had to smile at that. "Don't worry, I will. I don't want to make her mad either." Jake said with a chuckle as he broke into a run in the opposite direction.

~Author's Note~

I know there wasn't any fun stuff in this chapter, but I told you it would be dark for a bit before it lightens up so you've been warned. There's only a couple gray sky chapters left and then there'll be lotsa romance, I promise.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. Big shout out to ozlady80 for all of her reviews. You are a rock star for giving me feedback! Thank you!


	7. Author's Note

Author's Note

Hey everyone, before I go any further in this story, I thought I should post a note telling you what's different from S. Meyer's version of the story.

So here goes...

This story starts in Breaking Dawn.

Jacob does go off on his own after getting the wedding invite. He comes back for the wedding and the dance with Bella does take place. Bella and Edward get married in the middle of August. After that, he runs away and instead of going north, he heads south to southern Washington/northern Oregon until the very end of September. Jacob is heading back and Sam has gone out to look for him and is concerned. Jake sees the vampire and Shalena and comes to rescue her. Sam hears this and joins in to help.

When Shalena wakes up in the Cullen's house it's mid-October.

FYI - Bella will probably be in this fic eventually. Her character gets on my nerves in both the books and the movies so don't expect her and Shalena to be friends anytime soon. For the time being since Bella is a newborn, she is staying at a house that keeps her far away from civilization so she can work on becoming a veggievamp. Far away if you're human. Close if you're as fast as a vampire. Edward spends time there with her in their new home, but also leaves sometimes to help Carlisle.

This probably goes without saying, but Jake doesn't imprint on Renesmee. I'm sorry, but that's just gross/unnatural and Jake deserves better. Renesmee may or may not be in this fic. At this point not even I know!

Thanks to all of you who have put me on your alerts. It helps me keep writing. Don't forget, I love reviews.


	8. Planes, Trains, Automobiles

~Chapter 7: Planes, Trains, Automobiles: Having The Courage To Feel~

~In the bedroom at Shalena's cabin~

I closed the door after Jacob walked out and sat on the fluffy bed looking out the bay window at the shoreline. As soon as I was alone in the room, the ache crept back in like a long lost friend that you aren't to sure you want to see again. I felt the ache grasp at the inside of my chest and crawl up to my throat. I took a deep breath in and shifted my eyes to the bathroom. I took in a deep breath to try and keep my tears at bay with no success.

The first tear started to dampen my lashes and I knew it was unavoidable. I moved into the bathroom, turned on the water to the bathtub and flipped of the fan and warming light. After being in Jacob's arms all night anywhere else felt colder than it had before. As the water began to fill the tub, making noise as it poured in, I let my sobs loose. I didn't want to have to answer Jake or anyone else about why I was so upset, and as I went to dip my free leg in the tub I felt the walls I had been holding up since my dad died fall away as I allowed myself to feel.

I never expected it to hurt this much. I had always been pretty logical and rational about death and now it was as if death was staring me right in the face and laughing. I had only been though my great grandparents dying before this and that was when I was younger. I can't be sure, but I don't remember it feeling like this. So raw and unyielding. I shut the water off and let the steam envelope me. Maybe it was because I was too young to really understand what was going on. Or maybe I blocked it out when I blocked out many of the memories of my childhood. When I worked to forget all that I had been through growing up, I had been indiscriminating about which memories I kept and which I pushed away. Good, bad, it didn't seem to matter much to me. I was young and didn't know how else to cope.

Still I don't think it hurt this bad when Virginia, Ruth, or Henry died. I wasn't ever really able to be close to my dad even though I wanted to be. Maybe that's why, the idea that the little strand of hope I had unknowingly been clinging to all these years had just been yanked out of my grasp. I sniffled and my shoulders shook as I gave up trying to understand what I was feeling and let myself get pierced with the raw emotion that felt like a dull, jagged sword cutting through me, sobbing uncontrollably.

I must have sat there on the edge of the tub crying for quite a while. Soon, there were no more tears left to cry and I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, like maybe I would get through this somehow. I grabbed a washcloth from the woven basket sitting off to the side of the faucet and dipped it into the water. Bringing it up, I made quick work of washing my body, trying not to get annoyed at the cast trapping my leg. When I was done, I stood taking a towel to dry myself off. Looking at the shower and wanting desperately to wash my hair I considered trying to somehow do it. The thought left almost as soon as it had come when Jacob's potential reaction interrupted my thoughts. He seemed to be overprotective enough as it was, the last thing I needed to do was give him a reason to get worked up. Oh that, and I wasn't crazy about the idea of me getting into a bind and having any one of the people out in the living room come in to find me naked. That would probably send me over the edge. Maybe one day I won't be so modest, but today was definitely not that day.

~Back in the kitchen~

As soon as I was dressed in some warm sweats and a long sleeved shirt, I went back into the living room. Before I was completely out of the living room I stopped, hearing Sam and Emily having a conversation with low voices.

"He was upset, but at least he knows now. He'll be fine as long as Shalena lets him help her...love her." Sam stated with certainty.

"I know Sam, but I just worry. You know that. I even told Jake, she's his imprint and it would work itself out in the end and look at me now, getting worried." I heard them step closer to each other and one of them kiss the other.

"I know, and part of why I love you is that you care about everyone so much. It's too bad Jake has to go through this..." He drifted off in thought and began talking again. "I know what it's like when you're going through something and I can't save you from it. All I can do is feel what you're going through right along with you. Jake must feel so helpless."

"Ya, but it helped me just knowing that you understood exactly what I was feeling. It made me feel like I wasn't all alone in what I was going through."

"Plus, it made us closer." Sam whispered before kissing Emily. As they pulled apart, Emily breathed out. "Maybe it will bring them close..."

I was completely confused by the conversation they were having and chose that moment to let them know I was coming out of the bedroom, halting their conversation so I could think. I made my way to the dining table and sat down, lifting my leg up to rest on one of the chairs.

Emily turned in Sam's arms and looked at me with a smile. "Are you feeling better?"

"Ya, more relaxed at least. The food smells good." I answered, looking at the bevy of plates on the counter.

"Thanks. Being relaxed is good, it'll help you heal." She replied.

Sam spoke up, "So, can I eat now?" Emily just laughed and swatted at his arms.

"Fine honey, go ahead and eat." Rolling her eyes as Sam went to serve himself, she added, "Always thinking about food, what a one track mind."

"I don't have a one track mind, I think about you too."

"And do you think about anything else?" Emily said as she sat down across from me with a cup of coffee and a bagel, pushing another plate in front of me filled with a little bit of everything.

Sam slowed down and gave her humorous question some serious thought, a grin gracing his face as he did. He took a bite of a piece of crisp bacon saying, "I guess I might think of other things occasionally, but mostly it's just you and food."

Sitting down next to Emily, he directed his attention to me for what seemed like the first time since I had walked into the kitchen area.

"So are you liking the cabin alright?"

"Ya, it's perfect for me. I love being right by the ocean."

"If you like this beach, you'll love the other beaches we have here on the rez. Quil's grams is going to be so happy to spend time with you. I think she feels like being around we "young-ins'" keeps her young."

Emily and I both chuckled when Sam said young-ins. It just didn't sound quite right coming out of his mouth even if he was talking about Quil's grandmother. As our laughter died down, we started eating and lapsed into a comfortable silence. When I set my fork down on my plate and went to take another sip of my coffee, my mind wondered to why Jacob wasn't here.

"Hey Sam, umm, where's Jacob?" Pink rushing to my face as soon as I asked.

If either one of them noticed, they didn't let on. "Jake went to check on his dad at his house to see if he needed to do anything."

"Oh, okay, I was just wondering." I tried to sound nonchalant, but somehow I didn't think it worked.

"He should be back any minute now." Emily chimed in.

A few more minutes went by before I heard Jacob's footsteps walking up to the cabin. He knocked and Emily got up to let him in. I heard her ask if he was okay now and him answer back that he wasn't exactly, but that he would be. Sam noticed me listening in and interrupted my eavesdropping.

"Are you going to eat that piece of toast?"

"No, I'm pretty full. You want it?"

"Yes, please." He smiled like he was a kid getting a present. Emily and Jacob walked in just as Sam reached across the table and plucked the toast off my plate.

Emily admonished him, "Saammm...please tell me you did not just hound Shalena out of her food." He smiled taking a bite and watching as Jake came around to sit beside me, retorted "C'mon Em, she said she wasn't going to eat it." Sam was feigning innocence, but Emily wasn't buying it. Despite that, she didn't seems to be capable of staying annoyed at him for very long. She shrugged, sticking her tongue out at him quickly before she walked over to the counter to fix Jacob a plate.

"Hi." He said. I felt his breath on the side of my face and turned to look him in the eyes.

"Hey," I said feeling shy all of the sudden. Jacob smiled down at me and we were momentarily lost in each other gazes until Sam interrupted.

"Honey," he drew out the voice in a begging tone. Emily must have known what he was going to ask because she took the tongs, grabbed some bacon and put it onto his plate. "Thanks babe." He quipped, clearly satisfied with himself. Jacob just chuckled and thanked Emily as she gave him his plate.

I looked back over to Jacob as he took a bite of some potatoes. "You're lucky you came back when you did. If it had been any later you might not have had anything to eat."

"Hey I'm not that bad. I would leave him something to eat."

"Right, sure, I believe that Sam. Kinda like I believe in the tooth fairy. A thought that's amusing to think about, but hard to believe."

At this we all started laughing. "Well Sam thanks for going without so there'd be some left for me. It means a lot." Jake joined in on my teasing, touching a hand to his chest for effect.

"Whatever." Sam said not knowing how to dig himself out.

Emily just wrapped her arms around one of his and gave him a peck on the cheek. "You see, I told you one of these days your stomach would get you into trouble."

"How can you always be right? You never cease to amaze me." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and they got distracted. As much as I envied their love for each other I felt awkward around it. It was like Jacob and I weren't even in the room with them. I looked away seeing a barge making its way across the horizon while Jake ate silently next to me. He must've noticed me looking because he commented on the view outside.

I leaned back so I could get a better look at him. He reached up and brushed some of my long, wavy locks so that they were tucked behind my ear. "You have such a wistful look on you face. What are you thinking about?"

I glanced back at the barge and met his eyes again. "I'm always curious about where they're going? Anytime I see planes, ships, trains, I just wonder where the people are going, what new adventures are waiting for them."

"You sound like you want to be one of the people."

"I guess I do in my own way, but at the same time I've always felt comforted by keeping my life predictable. Sort of split I guess."

Jacob looked a little stressed, even hurt for a moment, but as quickly as I saw it in his face, it was gone from his features. In their place was a look of understanding.

"Maybe it's possible to have both." He words were thoughtful.

My eyes narrowed slightly as I waited for him to go on so I could understand.

He continued on, "I mean, you were on your own adventure that night I found you and now even though you're here in one place, it can be an adventure in it's own way." Even though he was making an observation the tone of his voice along with the look I saw in his beautiful eyes seemed to proposing an idea and his body seemed braced for rejection.

I took in his words and took a deep breath before replying, keenly aware that our conversation had caught the attention of Sam and Emily.

"I guess you might be right. It could be an adventure for me. I'll have to see what happens while my leg heals. At this point, I can't pinpoint any direction I really want to go from here, at least not any that I'm sure of. I like it here at the beach and I'll have time to take some time off from things."

He seemed to be relieved when he heard my answer and I didn't have to look at Sam and Emily to know that they were relieved as well.

Jake seemed to want to push his feelings forward for me to see and spoke, "Well, not to be blunt, but I think this place is a good fit for you. It's like you belong here."

I smiled as he spoke, my thoughts drifting to my budding feelings for him. "Maybe I do, who knows." I surprised him by going in to give him a kiss that was as meaningful as it was playful. I knew it wasn't really the best time, but then again there's never really a right time for these types of things. I just couldn't resist it and went with it figuring that as lovey-dovey as Sam and Emily were they wouldn't mind. Jake didn't seem to mind either. As a matter of fact, he seemed quite happy.


	9. If You Ignore Fate, She Might Bite

~If You Ignore Fate, She Might Bite~

Over the next couple of days, I got time to just be alone. Jacob still checked in on me daily, but if he happened to come when I wasn't up to having company, he left without making me feel guilty. My feelings for him kept growing, but he was willing to let me take my time even though I got the feeling he could sense my feelings changing. Overall, I was doing okay. Sure I cried every now and again, but none of my crying stung as deeply as when I cried for the first time in the bathroom. I had taken time to start journaling again and on days when Jake was around my mood seemed to lighten and I even penned a few songs which I hadn't been able to do since finding out about my father's death.

A week into my stay I went to meet with Quil's grandmother in the resort's rec room aptly named the Wolf Den. I hobbled up the pathway and the door opened before me where I was met by Carrie. Carrie was what must have been a pretty typical representation of Quileute people. Jacob, Sam, and their friends were clearly Quileute, but in a more modern way; still steeped in tradition, just not part of the old way, the way the sage older woman in front of me was. She looked to be in her 60's and the same deep brown eyes as everyone I'd met on my journey so far, minus the Cullen family of course. Her welcoming eyes crinkled as she took my small, lighter hands into her stronger, tanned ones and her lips pulled into a sweet smile.

I returned her smile with a shy one of my own. In the culture I grew up in, children and young ones were raised to show respect and honor to their elders. Even though Carrie wasn't my family, I had still learned a few things in order to show her I respected her and wanted to try to honor her tribe's traditions. I had rehearsed a couple of Quileute phrases and found my linguistic talents lending me only a small amount of help. All languages are somehow related I knew, but this one seemed especially foreign on my tongue. Glancing down quickly, I collected my courage and looked up to meet her eyes again before I spoke.

"Ha'ch chi'i, Mrs. Ateara." I saw she was surprised at my words. I guessed that most people my age did not even think to make these efforts. She grinned, squeezing my hands in appreciation before helping me into the Wolf Den.

"Ha'ch chi'i, ayasocha, Shalena?" I thought back to how to say I was fine.

"Hachli, ho, and you, ayasocha?" I said as she gestured for me to sit down in a large, over stuffed, brown leather chair.

"I am doing fine. You speak well for someone who's not from around here." Pouring some steamy, dark coffee into the mug in front of me before going back to pour herself some.

"Well, I've been trying to teach myself some basic Quileute to use during my stay. I've always been drawn to languages, but I'm finding Quileute words to be challenging. I hope I didn't butcher them too badly." Raising my eyebrows, genuinely hoping I hadn't made a fool of myself.

"Oh no, on the contrary, I'm surprised you have as good a pronunciation as you do. And you've done this all by yourself?" She added somewhat incredulously.

I nodded before answering, "I kind of like doing things on my own, especially when it's a challenge. I didn't want anybody to know because I was sort of waiting to use it when I met you."

"Well, I appreciate the gesture. It means a lot to have someone so young take an interest in our language. Some of our young families have let it die out and the tribal school is working to correct that by teaching our children how to speak our language."

I was expecting her to say something about how my efforts were out of the ordinary for someone who wasn't part of the tribe or Native American in general, but she made no mention of it.

"I would love to learn more about your culture while I'm here. I've studied some tribes, but not the Quileute tribe. Can you maybe share what you know with me during our visits?" I knew some tribes were very closed to outsiders and with the bloody history most tribes had endured, I understood why. I sincerely hoped this wasn't the case with these kind people I was getting to know.

"I would love to Shalena!"

"Oh good," I breathed out, relieved to be let in. "I was afraid you wouldn't be willing."

Carrie waved her hand as if to brush away my doubts. "Nonsense, you want to learn more about my people and who am I to deny you?" She chuckled knowingly. "And besides, you already know about which legends are true."

"Ya, I do. You're right about that. I wasn't expecting to find out that all the things I thought were just imaginary, were actually real."

"Of course not, child. You probably left Portland thinking you were going to explore the Washington coast while on your journey, but fate surprises us all sometimes, doesn't she?"

"Well, I don't know about fate, but I feel like this is just the beginning."

"You don't believe in fate?" Carrie's laughter was silenced and replaced with seriousness. "Why not?"

I spoke to answer her question. "It's not that I don't believe in it, it's just I'm still wrestling with it. Some stuff has happened that's made me question fate and God." Feeling my guard peel back just enough that she could see underneath it.

"Don't be so quick to brush fate aside. There's usually a plan we cannot possibly see in the present moment. Give it a chance, believe in it, and it will reveal its secrets to you." I absorbed her words and stayed quiet. I hope one day I can be that sure, that wise.

"I'll try, but I don't how to do what you're saying when I've been through all that I have." Sadness had made its way into my voice. Carrie scooted closer to where I was sitting and laid her hand across one of my own. Something about her made me want to be honest and tell her everything, but I stopped myself.

"Our creator knows what we need and uses what happens to us to equip us...build us into who we need to be to fulfill our purpose. Even the painful, unpleasant experiences can reveal a beauty we can't imagine. Don't close yourself off from the possibilities, be brave." She looked deep into my eyes as they filled with tears. Her words carried more truth than I wanted to admit to. "Don't cry, child, it will all be okay. Jacob wouldn't be to happy with me if all I did was make you cry, now would he?" I had to smile at her right then.

"No, he worries about me enough as it is." I said as I wiped my tears away.

"Speaking of Jacob, he seems to be very fond of you. In fact, everyone who's met you so far has been taken with you. Now I can see why." I kept quiet and just nodded. I wasn't sure what Carrie was getting at. She didn't seem to notice. "So, how do you feel about Jacob?" The way she said it, you would've thought we were two teenage girls up in her room gossiping about boys. I laughed and blushed feeling shy, my cheeks turning pink to match the falling cherry blossoms outside the window.

"Don't be that way, I just like meddling in the lives of the kids around here, it's my way of staying young. Just answer my question, sweetie." she said.

"I like him, a lot more than I want to actually. I mean, well, I guess I didn't mean that the way it came out. You see, now isn't the right time for me to start something like that."

"Pish, tosh, there is never an ideal time for this sort of thing. It's obvious from the way you both behave you have feelings for each other. Why not just go with it and see where fate wants to lead you?"

"I don't know if I'm at a place where I can do that, but I guess it doesn't mean I won't consider giving us a chance."

"Well, that's at least a start!" Carrie seemed to be more excited at the prospect of Jake and me being a couple than I was at the moment. After I assured Carrie I would consider my feelings for Jacob, our conversation went on to some of the other Quileute legends Carrie knew.

~Back at the Cabin Again~

After I had walked back to the cabin, I decided to make myself a cup of hot cocoa. It was getting further and further into autumn and cocoa hit the spot. I sat out on the front porch, sipping the warm, frothy liquid and thinking about how the changing of the seasons makes me long for my childhood of stomping the fallen leaves in the middle of the playground. Of my mom's cooking. And now of seasons past when my father was alive and well. I had run away from the pressure of maintaining a brave face only to end up in a place where I was having to face new people, though the pressure to keep up a front wasn't so great here. Maybe I should surround myself with these people so I won't feel so alone. The thought seemed right in my head. The upcoming holidays would be hard to face alone and even though I had told Jacob and his friends I needed to stay here in the cabin by myself, I was beginning to regret my decision.

I took out my cell phone and dialed Emily's number to see if she wanted to come over and help me attempt to cook some of my mom's recipes. She answered after a few rings, she was game to help and would be over in a while.

I got up from my seat on the porch and looked out to see what I assumed was one of Jake and Sam's friends. He smiled as he walked up to me and introduced himself. He had black hair and was lighter than Jacob, but still tanned. He wore a grin on his handsome face that radiated confidence.

"Hi, I'm Paul. You must be Jake's girl Shalena."

I looked down when he said the words, feeling the weight of what seemed like everyone's hopes for me and Jake.

"Ahh, ya, I guess that's me." I managed to get out. "It's nice to meet you Paul."

"Ya, I've been dying to meet the girl who's been making Jake's world spin lately." Wow, he was kind of spunky. I sidestepped responding and walked back into the cabin, telling him to come inside and sit down at the kitchen table while I prepped the vegetables.

"So, did Jake send you over here to check on me?"

"Ya, he's at the Cullen's house right now. They have something going on and they called to see if he could help, I guess."

"You don't seem happy about that..." I said trailing off. He seemed to get an undercurrent of anger as he had told me where Jake was.

"Ya, well, he's an idiot for going. Especially now that he has you. I just think he's being stupid." He huffed out.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Why would I care about Jake being at the Cullen's? He seems to enjoy helping people, so why shouldn't he?" My words seems to aggravate him. The man who had seemed like a charismatic, handsome ladies man had now turned into a short tempered guy border lining on becoming an animal. I was positive, given his reaction, that he was a part of Sam's pack.

Paul got up from the table abruptly. I could see him making a concentrated effort to stay calm. Still, I wasn't sure what his problem was. "I need to go outside and get some fresh air. I'm sorry." He grunted as he went outside.

I set down the knife on the cutting board and followed him out. I continued talking, not knowing what I was about to say would only upset him more. "Paul, Jake and I seem to get along, but we're not together so why would I have a problem? He can do whatever he wants." My voice betrayed me towards the end, but Paul didn't seem to notice.

He was facing away from me, so all I heard was a wild growl spill from his mouth and the next thing I knew there was a wolf standing in front of me. I was taken aback. The last time I had seen a human as a wolf was the night Jake and Sam rescued me. I hadn't seen either one of them phase since then. They always waited until they got into the forest so they wouldn't draw unwanted attention. I knew Paul was within the wolf standing before me, but he looked angry. As I made eye contact, it dawned on me that he must be protective of Jake. I didn't understand why he would be protective over Jake's romantic life, but I didn't care. I didn't see how there could be any excuse for the way Paul was reacting.

"You're protecting him! From me? I don't understand." I paused looking at him. He just tilted his head and growled in response. "Really, you're throwing a tantrum because I'm not rushing into a relationship with a guy I've only known for a couple of weeks. Are you kidding?" My own temper was rising to match his as he stepped forward, looking down at me coldly.

"Really, you're going to try and scare me to prove whatever your point is! Are you nuts?"

He let out a primal growl that dwarfed all the previous growls he'd let out. "Oh please, grow up." Unamused by his temper tantrum, but getting closer to having one of my own, I raised my hand to his muzzle and backhanded him with my fist. It wasn't hard, but it hurt like hell. I had thought it would knock him out of the train of thought he was on, but it ended up provoking him instead. In a split second that both of us would end up regretting, Paul the wolf leaned down beside me and angrily bit the area just above my hip before phasing back to his human form and curling into a ball, unable to face himself. I hobbled away to get some distance and crumbled onto the porch feeling dizzy from the pain lashing at my insides. Shortly thereafter, I felt a blanket of shock cover me and slipped into unconsciousness, hoping someone would find me soon and scared that Paul wasn't though with me.


	10. Well, Now That You Bit Me

To all my lovely readers, this chapter is a thank you to all of you who are reading both of my stories. I wasn't planning on posting it yet, but when I saw how many of you have been showing me support, I couldn't resist posting it early. Today, two totally wonderful things happened: First, my visitor count broke 200 for this month! Second, the number of readers for November has surpassed the amount of readers from last month. I'm so happy! Thank you to all of you who have been reading and actually leaving reviews. I appreciate it so much. Also, I want to recognize those of you who have added me and both of my stories to your alerts. I know most of you haven't given me any feedback, but I love you anyways. So, enough of my rambling, on with the story. P.S. If this isn't enough wolf drama for you, head over to my profile and check out the other story I'm working on to get your fix. Love you guys!

~Well, Now That You've Bitten Me~

When I woke up, I was laying on the couch inside the cabin. I kept my eyes closed not wanting to really wake up and face the reality of what had just happened. Or at least, what I thought had just happened for I couldn't be sure how much time had passed. Maybe it was all in my head. Maybe it was just a really messed up dream.

I heard low voices murmuring to each other. I recognized one as Emily's voice, and then I heard one I wasn't familiar with. It was the voice of an older man and he was talking quietly to Emily and Sam. I hadn't realized Sam was in the room until I heard him ask the man something. It seemed the man was a doctor of sorts. I quickly guessed that he was the Quileute tribe's medicine man.

My brow furrowed as I opened my eyes to survey the area around me. I hadn't realized it before, but someone was holding my hand and I looked up to see none other than Carrie. My heartbeat began to pick up its pace as I realized I had been expecting to see Jake holding my hand. Emily must have looked over at Carrie's face and realized I was awake because she was suddenly kneeling by my side on the edge of the couch.

"Hey sweetie, how are you doing?" Emily said softly as she brought her hand up to stroke the side of my face.

"I don't know," I stopped temporarily, not knowing what to say because I had so many thoughts running through my head. "I feel kind of funny, like I'm somehow different."

It seemed as if my words had caught the attention of Sam and the medicine man along with whoever else was in the room. Out of the corner of my eye I could've sworn I saw the medicine man's ears perk up in interest. Why would that be interesting, I wondered silently to myself. Or a least I thought it was silent.

Sam spoke up answering my silent question. "Shalena, he's interested because you survived Paul's bite. It's not unheard of, but it's rare. The tribal histories don't really say much of anything about this sort of thing happening."

"Ohhh..." I sighed. "Wait! You mean it actually happened!" I yelped at the shock waves of pain as they riddled themselves through the side of my body the bite was on. I had stupidly sat up when I spoke in surprise.

I felt Carrie rubbing my hand and turned my hand so I could hold onto hers as I thought back to what happened.

"Oh god, what have I done?" I asked, speaking more to myself than anyone else. I brought my free hand up to my forehead as guilt and a tinge of regret rained down on me. I glanced over at Emily and found her looking down at me with more understanding than any of the other people in the room.

"I know what you're going through." Emily said. I saw Sam look away in pain. I wasn't used to seeing him display his emotions very openly. When I heard Emily speak, I understood why. Sam had been the one who scarred Emily. He was still looking away when he responded to what I had been thinking.

"I did, I was angry and it only took a moment of losing control and..." He didn't seem to be able to finish.

"We were fighting and I pushed him too far. He phased into his wolf and I was just standing too close."

"Em, it's not your fault, it never will be. The blame is mine. It was all my fault." Sam choked out, forgetting for a moment about the present situation.

Emily turned to look lovingly in Sam's eyes now rimmed with tears. She reached out to him, beckoning him to come nearer to her. When he was close enough, she put her hand on the side of his neck near his jaw and pulled him close so that his forehead was touching hers.

"Love, look at me. You don't need to carry guilt around over something you had no control over. Please let it go. If not for your sake, for my own." I watched as Emily pleaded with Sam. He was only able to nod yes to answer her before he tipped his mouth forward and began lightly kissing her scars. I smiled a small smile to myself, relieved that the matter had been snuffed out soon after it had started.

I watched as the medicine man's eyes bounced between Sam and I before they looked over me into Carrie's eyes. The pair seemed to reach a consensus, though the only give away was Carrie giving him a slight nod that was almost undetectable. Sam and Emily were still a little distracted by each other when the medicine man broke the silence in the room.

"Uhem," He cleared his throat to get the attention of all who were in the room. "Samuel, I believe the impossible has happened." I could see Carrie nodding her head in agreement.

Now it was Carrie's turn to speak, "It may not have been right for Paul to bite Shalena, no matter what the reason was, but I believe even though some in your pack have been trying to run from their destiny, destiny is fighting to have her way Sam." She looked down at me and gave the medicine man the signal to continue on.

"It seems as if the serum that naturally courses through the veins of all Quileute wolves, now is in Shalena also." He nodded in my direction. Sam must've looked as confused as I was at the moment and I was relieved when he spoke up.

"Wait, Zacharius, slow down. What are you saying?"

"I am saying the bite of Paul seems to have made something come alive within Shalena. Something that she has always possessed, but that has laid dormant within her."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Sam soldiered on. "This can't be right, what does this mean for her?" My shocked eyes met his upset ones. He laid a hand on me in what looked like an attempt to somehow protect me from the information the wise, old man was telling all of us.

"Well, for a start, it means she is linked to the alpha of this pack...in this case, you Sam." He added the last part as almost an afterthought. This was getting to be overwhelming for me as I tried to make some sense of his words.

"So, when I felt like Sam was answering my thoughts just now?" My voice trailed off in question.

The man nodded his head yes. "It is true." His statement carried a finality to it which told Sam and me both that we needed to stop trying to 'figure out' what had happened between us and how. "Your minds are now unavoidably linked to one another."

"Wow, ummm, what's your name?" I stuttered out, realizing I hadn't been listening when Sam said it just moments ago.

"My name is Zacharius, child. Do not be afraid of what has happened. Embrace it for it is part of your own destiny."

"My destiny, how could this have anything to do with my supposed destiny?" As I finished, thoughts of Jacob floated into my mind.

It was Carrie who said something now, "Shalena, do you remember when we were talking this afternoon?" I told I did. "Well, this is part of what I meant about fate making something stronger and more beautiful from the painful things. There is no excuse for Paul's actions and he is being dealt with, but there can be good that can come from this. I hope you realize that."

I had been hearing noise coming from outside for a while now, but didn't think anything of it until Carrie brought up Paul.

"What? Paul's being dealt with? How?" I started to sit up, mentally preparing myself for the pain my actions were going to cause as I did. They all wanted me to stay on the couch, but I was too stubborn. "No, I want to see it. This can't be right." I knew my reaction wasn't normal, but at that exact moment I didn't care.

"Wait, where's Jacob been all this time? Why wasn't he here with me?" Everyone in the packed room was struck dumb with silence when a growl and a bark crackled through the empty air. My eyes darted around the room and landed on Sam who wore a guilty expression on his face.

"Sam, guilt is definitely not an attractive look for you. But so help me God, if you don't get up and help me outside, I'll make you wish you had." He quickly helped me up and got me out onto the front porch where I saw Jacob and Paul fighting. My mind shuffled back to the time after Paul had bit me and I remembered how Paul had been beside himself at the realization of what he had done. At that memory, I knew Paul wasn't the one who started this brawl and I turned and called out to the person I knew who did.

"Jacob Black, stop right now!" His head jerked up to look at me and both of the wolves froze. I walked down to the bottom of the stairs, hissing as I sucked in air with each new assault of pain. "Both of you, please step away from each other and come here." Emotion flooded into my voice. I didn't have it in me to be strong anymore. Tears began to stream down my cheeks when they started to come towards me. I saw the emotions swirling in both their eyes and felt their pain radiating out from them. I reached out to touch the russet wolf first, my wolf, to try and calm him down. Then I took a step towards the silver wolf I knew was Paul. He came close to me before I could take another step forward. I stepped up a stair or two so our faces were level and placed a hand on each side of his face feeling the soft fur beneath them. Paul lowered his head in what I thought was shame and I heard both wolves whimper.

"Paul, look at me." He didn't lift his gaze. "Please, just look at me." His eyes were fixated on the area where he had bitten me. "Dammit, stop looking at it, and look me in the eyes Paul! I have something to say." At my demand, he seemed to respond, nervously lifting his furry head so that we were able to make eye contact. I guided his head so he was closer and leaned my head on his face before I moved to embrace him. I whispered in his ear.

"I don't like what you did, but I forgive you." I heard him whine in reply. "I knew from the second you did it that you regretted what you had done to me, but I don't want you to feel bad and let it destroy the friendship you and Jake have." My eyes moved over to Jake. "It's obvious you care about him very much and you're a good friend to him." I moved back so I could look into Paul's eyes. "Sometimes it's those of us who feel things at a deeper level than everyone else that lose control. That's what happened when we were talking." Paul nodded to show me he understood. "I understand who you are even though I don't really know you." I said as my hand moved to pet him on the top of his nose. I felt my hand being knocked off as Paul's muzzle moved close and gave me a small lick on the side of my face. I couldn't help but giggle quietly at his gesture.

Everyone had come out of the house and was watching the exchange between Paul and me. They didn't look like they understood what was going on between us, but they didn't have to. Paul and I understood and that was all that mattered. I reached up to scratch his ear lightly. "Paul, I was wrong too. If I had been open and honest from the start, none of this would've happened." He just stayed looking at me. I saw deep within him and saw he needed time away from the disappointed, upset people standing around us. I whispered, "Just go, take all the time you need." It was as if he was a rubber band that had just snapped as he began running in the direction of the mountains above us. "Oh, and Paul, when you come back, we need to spend some time together." I received a bark in reply.

As Paul disappeared into the thicket, I turned to where Jake was still standing. "Jake," I breathed out. He moved so he was right in front of me, making it so I didn't have to move. He sat down and whimpered, sniffing me to see if I was alright. "Jake, I'm sorry." I blurted out as I rushed into him to embrace him. "I'm so sorry." I felt one of his paws move so that he was hugging me back. I leaned back to look at him and just stared. There, in Jacob's eyes I saw what had been there all along. I saw what I had worked to rationalize, what I had tried to deny myself. To deny Jacob. What had happened with Paul had made me realize how much I had been hurting both Jake and myself. "I've been hurting you by being stubborn." I paused to place my hand over his heart. "I'm not going to push you away anymore because...I-I love you." I felt him lower his head to my shoulder and nuzzle my neck. We stayed like that for a few minutes before I started talking again.

"Jake?" All I got was a quiet grunt as an answer. "Please don't be mad at Paul. Forgive him." I could tell from the way his body stiffened ever so slightly under my touch that it was an idea he wasn't exactly ready to accept. "For me?" I pleaded looking into his warm eyes. He nodded reluctantly. "Now, can you go change back so we can talk?" He nodded and walked off to phase back and get dressed.

I turned to face everyone who had standing behind me. "Ummm, I know this might be a weird request, but could you all leave? I think Jacob and I need to talk alone." I said slowly, hoping they wouldn't take it the wrong way. Sam looked around at everyone and spoke for them, seeing what I was thinking. "Uh, I guess we can if that's what you think you and Jake need."

"I do."

"Then we'll leave you two alone. There's a lot you'll need to talk with each other about."

"Thank you all for coming to help me. I appreciate it very much and as soon as I'm able, I'll have you all over for dinner. I hope you understand. Right now, this is just what I need to do." I saw some of them nod their heads.

Carrie spoke up, "Well, come on, let's get going! You heard her!" I smiled at the scene before me. Carrie may have been a little old lady, but at the moment it was almost as if she was sweeping them off the front porch towards their cars with an invisible broom.

Zacharius walked up to me with Sam on his heels. "I'll be back tomorrow to see how your wounds are healing, redress them." I leaned in and took him into a hug to show my gratitude. "Thank you, I'd appreciate that Zacharius." I felt him loosen his embrace and watched as the tribe's medicine man walked away from me and Sam.

"Sam? Do you think this will ruin their friendship?"

He knew I was asking about Jacob and Paul. He shook his head from side to side. "I don't think it will, at least I hope it doesn't. It's not the first fight they've been in. Paul has a temper and an attitude and Jake doesn't put up with it, so they'll probably have more fights down the road...just not any as bad as this one was."

I stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. Sam stared at the ocean, deep in thought. "You know Shalena, you mean a lot to him. Jake, I mean. He loves you in a way that most people will never get to experience."

"He loves me," I repeated the part that mattered to me most. "Can you just say what you mean, please? Everyone's been saying things like that and I'm starting to feel like I'm the only one who isn't in on the secret." Jacob walked up to where we were standing and pulled me into his arms, hugging me like he would never let go. "Jake." He arms loosened enough for me to lean back and look at both of them.

"What aren't you guys telling me?" Jake looked over at Sam and seemed to be asking his permission. Sam tilted his chin down once, granting Jake the permission he was asking for, from what I could see in Sam's thoughts. "Ok, so now that he's given you the go ahead can you please tell me?"

"I will Shalena, but let's let Sam and Emily go home and get inside the cabin where you'll be warmer."

"Ok." Jake and Sam stayed at my sides as I walked up the stairs, just in case I needed their help. Jacob probably would've carried me, but my guess was that he had figured out it would only stretch out my wounds and cause me pain.

When I saw Emily inside straightening things up, I walked up to her and took her in my arms. "Thank you so much Emily."

"For what?" She asked as she hugged me back.

"I don't know, well, just everything I guess, just thank you."

"Anything for a friend. Just don't go hitting anymore wolves, okay?"

"Ya, I won't. It wasn't one of my better choices. That's for sure." We both chuckled.

"Well after you and Jake have some time to figure things out, you and I will have to make that dinner you were talking about."

"Definitely! I'd like that, Emily."

"So would I. Well, we'll let you and Jake be alone now. Call me?"

"Ya, I'll call you later." We walked them to the door and said our goodbyes.

After Jake shut the door, he turned to face me. "So..." He said, sounding nervous and unsure.

"So, I guess I'm ready to face my feelings for you."

"Are you sure? Because if you need more time, I can wait. You don't have to do this just because of what's happened."

I was shaking my head no before he could even finish his sentence. "No, Jacob, I want to. Maybe even need to." I wrapped my arms around his waist and held onto him tightly while I buried my face in his chest. "Not listening to what I'm feeling hasn't worked out very well for me anyways." Jacob laughed lovingly at my muffled voice while he ran his hand through my wavy hair. I gazed up at him, "I don't want to hurt you anymore."

"You haven't been hurting me Shalena" He said, trying to reassure me.

I put my hand on his chest to stop him. "No Jake, I know I've been hurting you because I can feel it. Me pushing you away and trying to deny what I felt hurt me just as much as it hurt you."

"Ok, Shalena." His hand continued to weave through my hair and his other hand came up to pull me into a kiss that let me feel everything he had been holding back since we had first met. We halted our lips and moved apart so we could catch our breaths. I reached up to touch my swollen lips and felt Jake's warmth lingering there. I smiled shyly.

"Hey Jake, I know there's stuff we need to talk about, but can it wait until tomorrow? I think my adventure has worn me out."

"Sure, I understand."

"Jake?"

"Yes love."

"Will you stay here with me tonight?"

"Nothing would make me happier." His smile was positively beaming.

I dragged my fingers down his chest and felt him shutter, but in a good way. I grabbed the edge of his shirt feeling a little seductive and purred softly.

"Let's go to bed, Jacob."

"I thought you'd never ask or that you would at least wait a couple more weeks to torture us both." He said playfully. I swatted his chiseled chest.

"Jake! I can't believe you just said that!" I retorted as I continued to tug on his shirt. "Just come with me, please."

He faked a yawn before he said, "Oh I'm not sure, maybe I'll just sleep on the couch."

At that point I yanked on his shirt. "Seriously, stop torturing me and come to bed. Pretty pleaaasse..."

I saw his resolve to continue playing around begin to fall to pieces as he took my hand so we could get some much needed sleep.


	11. My Soul Mate

Hi everyone! Sorry it's taken me longer than it usually does to update. I have finals coming up and I've been studying like a crazy woman. Hopefully I'll do alright. This chapter took me longer to write too. I had a bit of writer's block and had to keep on picking at my writing until I was satisfied with it. Updates will most likely be more regular after I power through my finals. **Thank****you****to****ozlady80****and****NameSombody****for****your****reviews.****You****both****rock****my****socks****for****reviewing!**

Oky, doky! On with the show!

~My Soul Mate~

When I woke up the next morning, I looked over to see Jacob sleeping peacefully beside me. Nothing had happened the night before. We had talked and cuddled until we both fell asleep. I just felt safe being wrapped up in his warm arms. I moved so that my head was resting on his chest and closed my eyes again. I felt Jacob move a little and he brought one of his hands up to rest near my head. After we both settled ourselves again, I began to drift off to sleep once more when a thought popped into my head. It was strange, but as I laid there listening and feeling Jacob's breathing it felt like my breathing was mirroring his. Hmm...I wonder if our hearts beat together too. I smiled to myself and snuggled into Jacob more.

It was a couple of hours later when I woke up again. I carefully climbed out of bed and walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth. After I finished, I changed out of my pajamas and walked into the kitchen to make some coffee. The local newspaper had been left on the porch, so I went out to grab it to read while I was waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. There was an article about some disappearances that had been happening in some of the nearby cities. It made me wonder if it was vampires taking people or if it was just the everyday criminal. I grimaced to myself in disgust as I set the paper back down losing all desire to catch up on the news. In the past week, my mood had been shifting and now I felt a slow burning anger as I thought about how I had fallen victim to both vampires and everyday criminals in my life. I mean, it made me feel like I had a sign on me somewhere that said something like "Come on, go ahead and try attacking me." I was so caught up in my angry thoughts that the sound of the ceramic mug hitting the counter and shattering shocked me out of my thoughts. The sound also woke up Jacob, I realized, as I saw him come rushing out of the bedroom with a concerned look on his face.

"What happened? Are you okay?" He came around to survey the scene and I felt his eyes dart up and down my body to see if I was hurt.

"Don't worry, Jacob. I'm okay. I just got a little angry."

"No, Shalena, you're not." He took my hand that was sitting by the now broken mug, still grasping the handle tightly. I looked down as he carefully removed the handle from my hand and set it on the counter. I saw out of the corner of my eye that some of the shards had made their way to the floor and my eyes moved back to see Jacob's face. He had me hand close to his face and I gasped quietly when he plucked some tiny fragments from the cut in my hand.

"Don't move." When I rolled my eyes at his overprotective reaction.

"Come on, Jake, I can just step over it, get a broom, and clean this up." I looked at my hand and turned it so the wound was facing up. "It's not that big, can you just get me a bandage please?"

"No, I'll take care of this mess." He said as he picked me up. "You shouldn't walk around with bare feet."

"Don't you think you're overreacting just a tad bit?" I pinched my fingers together so my thumb and index finger were almost touching for effect.

"Maybe, but I don't want you getting hurt." He reasoned as he set me on the couch and went in search of a bandage. It was taking Jake a few minutes to find a bandage as I sat there listening to him shuffle around the cabinets. I rolled my eyes saying to myself, "It's not that bad."

I heard Jake holler back, "I heard that Little One!"

When I turned my hand so I could look at it to confirm what I was say I noticed the wound seemed almost healed. Jake appeared in the living room again, stopping by the couch and kneeling.

"Remember what I said about letting me protect you?" He asked softly.

I could feel his eyes on me. He must've caught the looks of amazement and confusion that had made their way to my features. I stared up at him and was struck by the amount of concern I saw in his eyes.

"I don't know if I need a bandage anymore Jake. Look." He held my hand in his and studied my wound.

"It's practically healed?"

"Ya, see what I mean?"

"I need to get Zacharius so he can tell us what's going on."

I was lost in thought until I felt Jacob's hand touching the side of my neck by my jaw line, gently saying my name. My eyes snapped to his.

"I think we need to go to Dr. Cullen's." I stated with a touch of worry.

"What? Why?"

"Because he needs to check my leg. I can just feel something, something not bad. Just kinda weird feeling I guess."

"But you're okay, right?" He sounded more worried than I did and I could feel his thoughts racing, although I wasn't sure how. I scooted forward to get closer to him and cupped his face with my hands.

"Jake, I just think maybe my leg is healing like the cut. I can't be sure, but it feels different today." I took a moment to place a reassuring kiss on his lips. He seemed to take in my words and calm down a little. "Now, can you take me to see Dr. Cullen?"

"Ok," He got up as he replied and looked out the window so I couldn't see his face.

I wasn't sure how he was feeling, but this seemed to be how Jake reacted whenever he wanted to keep me safe and wasn't able to.

"Hey Jake?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you look at me?" I said as my voice got softer. He turned around and wiped his hand down his face as if the idea of going to the Cullen's house exhausted him in some way. I patted the seat cushion beside me, hoping he would sit down.

When he did, I scooted closer to him so I could put my head on his shoulder. "Are _you_okay?"

"Ya, I guess, I just..." Jake seemed to be struggling to find the words he wanted to use. "I, there's some stuff going on there with Bella and Edward."

"Ok." I said, waiting for him to go on.

"She's not doing very well. She's really sick."

"So, you're upset because your friend's sick? Jake, if you want to visit her while I'm with Dr. Cullen, you can. I don't mind." I was trying to be helpful, but it didn't seem to be working.

Jake seemed to be debating whether he should tell me whatever it was that had him bothered. After a few minutes, he dipped his chin to look at me.

"When Paul was here yesterday, I was over there with them."

"I remember Paul telling me." I nodded.

"And you remember that they're vampires right?" I nodded yes.

"So, Bella got pregnant when her and Edward were on their honeymoon. The baby was hurting her and they tried to make her a vampire thinking she would be able to survive then. The thing is, it's what"s keeping her alive, but just barely." At this I felt him tense and start to shake.

"Whatever's inside of her is making her suffer, but she still wants it." The way Jake's handsome features contorted as he spoke told me that the situation disgusted him.

"So, if they tried to make her a vampire, how's she still just barely surviving?" I asked.

"I guess you could say the thing inside her isn't letting her become a full vampire, but now because of the venom, Bella's not fully human anymore either."

I nodded and waited to see if he had anything else to say.

"We could go to the hospital to get my leg checked." I offered. "You should probably go see Bella though. She's still your friend right?"

"Sort of," Jake huffed, "I care about her, but not like I used to. Every time I'm around her, I feel sick because I'm going against everything in my nature. I mean, the reason I'm a wolf is so that I can kill vampires and yet now I'm spending time caring about vampires who are making hybrids. Plus, I'm nervous about you meeting Bella."

"Jake, I can see why you don't want to go, but why are you nervous about me and Bella meeting?"

I watched as Jake bit his lip as he debated about whether or not to tell me. Obviously I meant something to him, but she must mean something to him too. He finally got up the nerve to tell me what was troubling him about us meeting.

"Before Bella married Edward, I was in love with her and tried to convince her to be mine instead of his. Sometimes I think even Edward thought I would be able to give her a better life, but Bella didn't love me that way. Not enough to leave Edward."

I couldn't quite wrap my head around what he was saying. I mean, how could anyone not choose Jacob? He's not perfect, but he's got lots of good qualities. And plus, why would she choose a creepy vampire over him? Ok, maybe I should just focus on the fact that he's here with me because she rejected him. I remembered Sam and Jacob talking in the car about how Jake had went away for awhile because he needed time.

"So was Bella getting married the reason why you were around the area where I got attacked?"

"Ya, I didn't go to their wedding though. I came to dance with her afterwards. Maybe to get some closure, but it hurt me just knowing she was going to give up her soul to be with Edward forever. I got so upset I felt like running away, so I did. I was heading back here when I saw that leech attacking you."

I interrupted him, "You know, I'm glad you were there even though Sam didn't seem happy with you for going away. The vampire would've killed me if it hadn't been for you."

"I don't care what Sam thought about me leaving, you wouldn't be in my life if I had stayed here to sort through my feelings. I know I felt what I thought was love for Bella, but I know now it wasn't love, because of what I feel for you." He kissed my forehead and chuckled when he saw the blush that had crept up to my cheeks before he continued talking. "Maybe I was just trying to save her from losing her soul because she was my best friend." I nodded as we fell into a thoughtful silence. We stayed there in each other's arms until Jake spoke up, realizing something.

"Um, do you want to tell me how you knew what Sam's feelings were about me leaving?" His words were gentle to my ears.

I grew nervous at the prospect of telling him I had eavesdropped on their conversation in the car and I pretended to pick at an imaginary piece of lint on his shirt while I replied. "Well, I sort of woke up while you were talking in the car and pretended to be asleep. Maybe it was because I didn't want to interrupt, but I think it was really that I felt a connection to you and wanted to know about you."

"So you're a little spy?" He acted like he was upset, but I knew he wasn't really.

"Ya, I guess I am. Are you mad?"

"No, not really. I mean, you were listening in because you had a crush on me even then." He said with a confident air as he laughed. I had to laugh too, because I felt silly about the fact that I had known I liked Jake back then and wasted all this time trying to ignore it.

"So, are there any other conversations you'd like to tell me about, little spy?" Jake asked playfully.

I thought for a moment, "Um, I might've listened in on Sam and Emily when they were talking about us."

"I knew it! Did you hear anything juicy?" He said grinning.

"They were talking about how much I went through and how you would help me through it. They were sad because you were upset about something you had found out about me." Jake grew suspiciously quiet as he listened.

"What are you thinking Jake?"

"I guess I have a little confession to make."

"Go on," I urged I urged with a humorous tone.

"Sam told me something he had found out about you from Edward," he admitted.

"Which was?"

"That you lost your father and that's why you were on your trip."

"But I never said anything to Edward about that. How would he have known about it?" I was shocked.

"Well, you know how you and Sam are connected to each other's minds?" I nodded to show I did. "Edward has the ability to hear the thoughts of everyone around him and he heard yours. He told Sam because he thought I would need to know in order to take care of you since you're my impr-, I mean since it's obvious I care about you."

"Wait, Jake, what was the word you were going to say?" He stayed silent and I saw he had reservations about answering.

"You were going to say imprint weren't you?" I questioned him further.

"How do you know that word?"

"I've heard it a couple of times since I got here. Sam and Emily said everything would work out because I'm your imprint. What does it mean, Jacob?"

"It's means we're soul mates." He said nervously. "It has to do with me being a wolf."

"What do you mean exactly?"

"Imprinting is fates way of helping us know who we're meant to be with."

"So that's what I've been feeling? The connection I mean?"

"Yes, I felt it too. From the moment in the forest when I imprinted on you, I've been in love with you." He rushed to finish speaking, seeming as if he was afraid if he didn't, he wouldn't get the thought out.

"Wow," I said, slightly out of breath in my amazement.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm more than okay. I felt like I had all these feelings for you that didn't make sense because I hadn't known you for long enough. Everybody kept saying things that seemed like they were in code. I felt like there was something they wanted to tell me, but couldn't. Now I know."

"And you're happy?" He ventured.

"Of course I'm happy! I didn't think soul mates existed, but now I know they do. Not only that, but I found my soul mate when I met you. How could I be anything other than happy?" I looked up to see Jacob's relieved expression and wrapped my arms around his shoulders to kiss him. I felt him smile as he kissed me back.

"I've wanted to tell you how I really felt, but I didn't want to rush you. It's so much better, now that you know everything."

"I think it's good we have everything out in the open now. I won't have to hold back what I'm feel for you anymore." I snuggled deeper into his side with a smile. I had found home.

After we had sat on the couch, basking in our joy for quite a while, I felt Jake rub my shoulder and looked up to meet his gaze. He gave me a peck on my lips and spoke.

"We should probably go see Carlisle, don't you think?" I let out a small yawn and answered him, "I guess we should." I wasn't very enthusiastic, but I wanted to know why I felt so strange. A trip to to the Cullen's house didn't seem like something I could really avoid.

"Ok, I'm going to go warm up the car. It's cold out today." Jake went outside and came back in after he had turned my car on. I watched him go into the kitchen and listened as he cleaned up the pieces of the broken mug off the kitchen floor. I carefully got up and went to get my shoes on in the bedroom and when came back out to see that Jake had finished cleaning up.

"You ready love?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Ok, let's go."

We walked out to my car and got in. Jake pulled out of the driveway and headed towards the Cullens. I wonder what it going to be like to meet Bella, I thought to myself as we drove out of the reservation. I looked over at Jake and he looked over at me to smile before turning his attention back to the road. His smile let me know that everything would be okay, no matter what happened.

**~ Ok, so what do you think? Clickety-click on the review button to let me know. ~**

**What will happen next? What will happen when Shalena meets Bella? Is Shalena going to become a wolf too? Did Paul imprint? Maybe, maybe not. Only time will tell...**

**Am I confusing you yet?**

****wiggles eyebrows mischievously and laughs** **

**P.S. I have the next three chapters mapped out, but your opinions can sway me, so let me know if there's stuff you do or don't want to see happen.**


	12. Rocky Endings, New Beginnings

**Hello my lovely readers! I made it through finals unscathed, so here is a brand new chapter for you all in celebration. I wasn't expecting Bella to come into the story, but somehow it happened. Oh well, I can't take it back since I've written her in, now can I? I know I said this story will be mostly wolf pack and that still holds true, so don't you worry. Bella's probably going to be around for just a few chapters. Fair warning, Shalena's not going to be very nice to Bella, just in case you were hoping she would be. On that note, ozlady80 this chapter will answer some of your questions, but not all. Hehe! I had to leave some mystery for future chapters, right? :-)**

**Last but not least, thank you to WitchRavenFox for your encouraging review. Reviews are part of what keeps me going when I have writers block (I've had a bad case of it lately) and your review was just what I needed to finish writing this chapter. Thank you to all of you who seem to be too shy to review, but have added me to your alerts. It makes me happy to know that you're reading my story. **

**~ S.**

**~ Rocky Endings, New Beginnings ~**

I sat on an exam table as Dr. Cullen looked at my leg. He had taken new x-rays when we had first got there. I told Jake to go say hi to Bella and see how she was doing, but he just stayed glued to my side. While we waited for the x-rays Dr. Cullen asked me to tell him about what had happened with Paul. I went through the whole story and took a deep breath as I finished.

"May I see the bite Shalena?" Carlisle asked.

"Sure, I guess." I said, feeling uncertain. Carlisle made quick work of taking off the bandages. It amazed me that he was able to move so fast, yet he was still able to be so careful. When he peeled the last of it away I saw that the wound was indeed healed. I would like to say I was surprised, but in truth I think I was getting used to strange being my new normal.

"I'm not sure what to make of this. You're wounds have healed, but you not a shape-shifter." Carlisle seemed mystified at everything that was happening to my body. He looked up at Jacob from where he was kneeling and spoke, "Jake, do you know if there's anything in your tribe's history about a human being bitten?"

Jacob shook his head, "No, my tribe's medicine man came after Shalena got bitten and he didn't seem to know anything."

Edward walked in with the x-rays and handed them to Carlisle. They set out to examine them together while Jake and I waited for them to finish. I nervously bit my lip gazing into Jake's warm eye. I was nervous about the possible outcome of what I had done by getting Paul riled up enough that he would actually bite me. Now I was healing faster than I ever had before, faster than any human for that matter. Yet Carlisle had said he was sure I wasn't a shape-shifter. I don't know how he reached his conclusion, but I had to agree with him because I hadn't phased. Aside from the quick healing and being able to communicate mentally with Sam, I was completely normal. When Jake's eyes met mine, my nervousness melted into a smile and he wrapped his arm around me to comfort me. It was a new feeling to be able to rely on someone for a change. I could feel myself changing since I had met these nice people. I was different, but it was a good kind of different.

"You know, you did good at staying calm while I told Carlisle about what happened. I know you still don't like it."

"I'm trying. Who knows, maybe sometime in the future it won't make me mad to think about what Paul did to you."

"Trying's good." I said brushing his lips with my own.

"Well, you seem to bring it out in me," Jake whispered. "Not that I'm complaining."

Carlisle seemed to be finished, so I asked him about what he saw.

"It seems as though you were right about your leg. Your bones have mended themselves and I can remove the cast. You should be able to walk and move without any problem since the cast was on for only a short time." I was positively buzzing with excitement.

"Um, not to be rude, but get this thing off of me!" All three men laughed. "You laugh, but I don't think any of you have an idea of what a pain in the butt it is to be in a cast. If you did, you wouldn't be laughing at my excitedness." I asked myself if excitedness was even a word. I shrugged inwardly. Probably not. Oh well, I don't care.

I came out of my thought world to see that Carlisle had cut almost halfway through the cast. Edward was wearing another on of his amused expressions. He really needs to stop reading my thoughts. Jacob must have sensed my annoyance because I felt him begin to rub soothing circles on my arm. I felt myself relax a little, but it didn't change what I was about to say.

I shot Edward an unamused look, "You know Edward, I heard about you dropping in on my thoughts."

He gave me a nervous smile, like a kid who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I assure you I meant no harm by it."

"I figured you were just trying to help, but you should ask permission before you go blabbing about a person's inner thought life."

"I apologize. I was only concerned for your well being and I felt Jake should know."

"Well, I know now, so thanks."

"So you knew that Jacob had imprinted on me and you wanted him to know so he could help me?" He nodded.

Edward, I may have only found out about imprinting yesterday, but if Jacob's my soul mate he'll do just fine without your help. Don't you think?" My tone wasn't rude or angry, but there was a hard edge under what I was saying. Jacob started to say something and I put a hand on his leg, shaking my head at him. "This is my own problem, honey." My words were soft so I wouldn't insult his need to protect me. I turned my attention back to Edward. Carlisle's eye went back and forth between me and Edward as he leapt to his defense.

"Shalena, Edward doesn't have control over when he hears peoples thoughts or whose thoughts he hears for that matter."

"Ok, so if that's the case, you have control over whether or not your mouth opens. In other words, when it comes to me and my thoughts, keep it shut. I have no problems telling Jake what I'm thinking, but my privacy means a great deal to me. You understand where I'm coming from right?"

"Yes, I do. Once again, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Thank you Edward."

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on my Bella," said Edward hastily as he left the room.

I felt Jake's chest shake as he started to laugh. "Poor guy, you were so hard on him, you made him run away."

"Well! At least it'll teach him not to be such a nosey-parker," I replied playfully.

"Ya, it might make him think twice," said Jake. I stared up at Jake's satisfied grin and noticed a proud look was gracing his features now. It delighted me to know I was the one who made him feel this way.

"You know Jake, you and Shalena are quite similar," Carlisle offered.

Jacob nodded in agreement and I was momentarily left in the dark. I must've looked a bit at a lose, because Carlisle quickly explained what he meant by the comment.

"You see, Jacob has always had a distaste for Edward's talent. In fact, he reacts in much the same way you do."

"Aha! And you thought I was hard on him," I admonished playfully.

"It just seemed more-," he paused trying to find the right word, "effective with the way you handled it."

"Ok, you have your leg back Shalena. Let me help you down from the table and we'll make sure you're okay walking on it."

~A While Later~

Carlisle had made sure I could be steady on my leg before he would let my go anywhere. I tried to say I was fine so I could leave, but no dice. You see, my Jacob was being his usual protective self and siding with the good doctor. Finally when they both were satisfied I was allowed to walk freely out of the room. And walk I did, right down the stairs and into the Cullen's living room where I was met with a very ill Bella.

I had told Jake he should visit with her before we headed back to La Push not knowing how much I would end up regretting it. Jacob introduced me to Bella and I said a polite hello to her. She reached out to take Jake's hand and stared intensely into his eyes asking him some unknown question that seemed to be just between the two of them. Jake appeared to be conflicted and I watched as she put her hand to his chest over his heart, recognition flashing through her eyes.

"You love her." The way she spoke she sounded surprised. "You're in love." The second comment brought with it a hint of anger or was it jealously?

"Yes, I am. Shalena's my imprint Bella."

I stayed quiet just observing the exchange between the two of them.

"You said you would never imprint."

"I know I did, but I didn't know how amazing it would be." Butterflies welled up in my stomach when Jacob gazed down at me with an expression of pure adoration. I'm sure my face was mirroring his because I felt Bella's eyes go back and forth between us before I looked to find her openly glaring at me. The look on her face said it all. Bell Swan was jealous and I was pissed. Maybe the protectiveness Jacob had for me went both ways. I knew I had him and she wouldn't ever get the chance, but I couldn't help feeling like I needed to stand up for him if she was indeed jealous.

"So you happy?" It was more of a statement even though she meant it as a question.

"Yup, happier than I ever knew I could be," he said sounding certain.

"Will you still come and see me?"

"You know I will Bella. I've been here to see you since you came back haven't I?"

"Yes, but if you love her then that means you don't love me," Bella whimpered as she spoke.

"Um, may I interrupt?" I asked not wanting to intrude on their conversation.

"Sure, you can," Jake replied at the same time Bella blurted out "No you can't."

I decided to listen to Jacob since Bella seemed to be on the irrational side of things.

"Bella, just because Jacob and I are together doesn't mean he can't come and see you. I even told him he should visit with you while Carlisle checked on my leg."

"You may let him, but he won't now that he has you."

"Look, I've never been one to wrap things in a pretty bow before I say them, so forgive me if I'm harsh. You and Jacob have been friends for many years right?"

"Ya, we have."

"And he's caring and loyal, willing to put other people's wants and needs before his own." Bella was nodding as she listened.

"I also realize that he was in love with you. He tried to show you the life he could give you instead of the one you chose and you still chose Edward. You chose to become a vampire. You married now, starting a new life. Let Jacob start his."

"But..." Bella went to protest. I held my hand up to stop her.

"What are you afraid of losing Bella?"

"I'm afraid of losing Jacob." I could hear her getting emotional and a pretty blond vampire came and sat by her side.

Jacob spoke up this time saying, "Bella, you won't lose me because I've imprinted. My promise still stands. I'm your friend and I'll always be in some way." Towards the end there was a mournful sadness in Jake's voice and I felt a pang in my chest.

"I know you would never break your promise, but now that you've found your soul mate, you won't have a reason to stay around for the time I have left. You won't love me after my baby is born. I know you already hate him and what I'm going to become after he's born."

"Bella, how I feel about the thing inside you has nothing to do with Shalena. It has everything to do with the fact that I've been made into a wolf to destroy vampires. My feelings towards yours and Edward's offspring has everything to do with that." Everyone in the room could hear just how much Jacob despised the idea of Bella being a vampire, let alone having some vampire child.

"But once he's born and I turn, you won't be here." Bella was on the verge of tears.

"Wait, I think I know why you're upset. Even though you rejected Jacob, you want him there as an insurance policy. You don't want him to move on and find his own happiness." Bella looked as if I was spot on in my conclusions.

"Your misunderstanding my feelings," Bella protested weakly.

"Oh, I think I'm understanding them perfectly well. You're being selfish. You want everyone to think that you care about Jacob as a friend and on some level you probably do, but secretly all you want is to be able to run to him if this all goes sour." The room grew quiet and I could feel everyone's focus shift over to me. "It seems to me you chose this life and now you have to live with it it. It sounds like Jake told you just how deeply his friendship extended and now that you've reached the brink, you're scared because you know you'll lose him." She took a ragged breath in as a single tear made its way down her cheek. "If you want my advice, cherish the time you and Jacob have left before your child is born and you become a vampire. Don't get caught up on him imprinting on me, your friendship would've become strained even if I wasn't in the picture. Losing Jacob has nothing to do with me and everything to do with your own choices. Live with them and let him move on."

"I don't know if I can."

"Well, the way I see it you can either peacefully let him go and use the time you two have left wisely or you can be selfish and lose him abruptly when your baby is born. It's your choice to make Bella. If you truly care for him, you'll do what's best for him." I sat amongst people that seemed to be aghast at my little speech. Had no one ever been honest with this girl? I guess not. It was starting to feel awkward to stay in the room, so I quietly told Jacob I would wait for him outside so I could get some fresh air. As I walked out of the house, I fought to calm down. Man, this Bella chick sure knows how to get people going. I shouldn't have been mad, but I was because of how much I could feel it hurting Jacob. All I could hope was that she would take my words to heart so both of them could move on.


End file.
